PATHWAY   THROUGH    A   BRAZILIAN    FOREST. 


HOR  A  CI  O 

A  TALE  OF  BRAZIL 


By 
R.  W.  FENN 


Illustrated 


AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY 

150  NASSAU  STREET 
NEW  YORK  CITY 


Copyright,  1911  and  1913  by 

AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY. 


NOT  TO  THE  RICHEST 
NOR  TO  THE  MOST  FAMOUS, 

BUT  TO  THE  BEST 
OF  MEN — MY  FATHER. 


2123539 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 
Horacio    Page    9 

CHAPTER  II. 
Anna    28 

CHAPTER  III. 
Father  Joao  S1 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Merchant  73 

CHAPTER  V. 
The   Convict 93 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Pardoned    106 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The   Student    114 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
The    Colporter i34 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Alfredo 155 

CHAPTER  X. 
The  Pretender  Unmasked   169 

S 


CHAPTER  XI. 
The  First  Sermon  189 

CHAPTER  XII. 
An  Old  Acquaintance    200 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Judgment    215 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Found    221 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Sor  Andre   236 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Fire  with  Fire   250 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
The    Seminary    262 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The   River    274 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Minister  282 

Epilogue    299 

Glossary    303 


UPON  the  traveller  in  modern  Brazil  one  impression 
must  inevitably  be  made  by  the  scenes  and  sounds  which 
attract  his  attention.  Sixteen  hours  on  the  train  and  a 
day  or  two  on  horseback  will  transport  him  from  the 
splendid  city  of  Sao  Paulo  to  the  haunts  of  the  un- 
tamed, naked  savage  with  his  blow-pipe  and  poisoned 
arrows.  The  recent  enormous  extension  of  coffee-plant- 
ing is  the  cause  of  this  unusual  and  abnormal  contrast 
of  conditions. 

While  the  Brazilian  is  generally  of  a  mild  and  genial 
disposition,  the  border-land  has  produced  and  is  still 
producing  many  desperadoes  who  execute  justice  and 
injustice  at  their  own  sweet  will  and  exercise  the  sway 
of  feudal  lords  over  wide  stretches  of  country.  In  such 
a  region  the  hero  of  this  story  lived,  loved  and  was  loved. 


NOTE 

THE  writer,  who  is  a  Civil  Engineer  by  profession, 
left  California  in  1900  to  organize  a  department  of  Civil 
Engineering  in  the  Presbyterian  College  at  Sao  Paulo, 
Brazil,  as  a  missionary-laborer,  and  expected  to  remain 
there  permanently,  but  after  two  years  of  service  was 
obliged  to  give  up  the  work,  owing  to  nervous  prostra- 
tion, and  for  another  year  served  the  Geographical  and 
Geological  Commission  of  the  State  of  Sao  Paulo  as 
Topographer  and  Geologist,  journeying  through  the  bor- 
derland which  he  describes  in  this  little  volume.  Alto- 
gether he  has  spent  ten  years  in  different  South  American 
countries,  which  has  given  him  a  sympathetic  apprecia- 
tion of  the  Latin  character,  and  almost  all  of  the  inci- 
dents in  '"HORACIO"  are  actual  personal  experiences. 


HORACIO 


I 

HORACIO. 

' '  ANDA  ligeiro,  Horacio !  The  macacos  are  in  the  milho. 
Take  your  gun  and  we'll  have  a  stew  of  the  saucy 
thieves ! ' ' 

A  sallow  woman,  slipshod  and  slatternly,  spoke  with 
languid  sharpness  to  a  young  Brazilian  lad  of  fifteen  or 
sixteen  years  who  leaned  his  elbows  on  the  rough-hewn 
table  as  he  finished  stowing  a  liberal  supply  of  rice  and 
beans,  sprinkled  with  farinha,  between  his  white  teeth 
with  the  blade  of  his  knife.  Wiping  his  mouth  upon  his 
sleeve,  the  young  fellow  took  down  a  light  double-bar- 
reled, muzzle-loading  gun  from  its  place  on  two  pegs, 
and,  throwing  a  horn  of  powder  over  his  shoulder, 
stuffed  a  little  bag  of  shot  into  his  breeches  pocket  and 
took  himself  off. 

The  roga  clearing  was  new,  and  the  charred  stumps 
and  trunks  still  thrust  themselves  up  from  the  green 
corn.  The  virgin  matto  grew  close  to  the  clearing  and 
the  monkeys  often  dropped  down  into  the  corn  and 
helped  themselves  with  liberal  hand.  The  lad  was  well 
used  to  this  sort  of  thing  and  crept  stealthily  amid  the 
corn  in  pursuit  of  the  thieves,  hoping  not  to  have  been 
seen  by  the  sentinel  that  hung  from  the  limb  of  a  tall 

9 


10  HORACIO 

tree  in  the  edge  of  the  wood  and  gazed  warily  toward 
the  house. 

The  lad  had  already  come  in  sight  of  the  monkeys  and 
could  make  them  out  as  they  stripped  the  plump  ears 
from  the  stalks  and  gnawed  the  milky  grains,  darting 
stealthy  glances  from  side  to  side,  between  their  mouth- 
fuls,  in  fear  of  an  interruption.  Horacio  hoped  by 
crouching  low  between  the  rows  to  reach  them  yet  and 
get  a  shot  at  them,  when  a  sudden  chattering  from  the 
tree-tops  warned  him  that  he  was  discovered,  and  a 
great  answering  hubbub  amid  the  corn  told  him  the  feed- 
ing monkeys  were  ready  for  flight  and  that  further  con- 
cealment was  useless. 

Darting  along  between  the  rows  at  full  speed,  he  tried 
to  reach  them  before  they  gained  the  shelter  of  the  for- 
est, but  they  were  too  quick  for  him.  Jumping  and 
climbing  up  the  swinging  cipos,  laden  with  ears  of  corn 
swung  over  their  shoulders,  they  reached  the  lofty  tops 
of  the  trees  and  made  off  toward  the  depths  of  the 
forest. 

For  a  moment  the  lad  hesitated  whether  he  should 
follow  them  or  not,  but  a  trail  following  the  direction 
taken  by  the  monkeys  had  been  cleared  into  the  forest 
to  obtain  timber  for  building,  and,  hoping  to  get  within 
gunshot  and  teach  the  rogues  a  lesson,  he  pressed  on, 
gaining  so  much  upon  them  as  he  ran  that  he  reached 
the  end  of  the  trail  almost  in  range  of  them  and  thus 
was  induced  to  push  on  into  the  tangled  undergrowth 
where  his  progress  was  much  slower  and  where  he  soon 
lost  sight  altogether  of  the  troop. 


HORACIO  11 

Loath  to  return  to  the  house  without  something  for 
the  stew-pan,  and  having  little  else  to  do  at  the  time, 
he  made  his  way  farther  on  in  the  hope  of  coming 
upon  a  blue  inambu,  a  maccuco  or  a  jacu.  The  under- 
growth became  more  and  more  dense  as  he  proceed- 
ed, and  he  was  soon  obliged  to  take  out  his  sheath- 
knife  and  cut  the  tangled  vines  and  branches  which 
barred  his  progress.  The  noise  made  in  this  way  pre- 
vented his  approaching  any  of  the  more  timid  game, 
but  presently  he  came  upon  the  well-beaten  track  of  a 
herd  of  queixadas  or  wild  pigs,  freshly  marked  by  their 
recent  passage. 

Thrusting  his  knife  back  into  its  sheath  as  no  longer 
needed,  the  lad  followed  the  path  of  the  pigs  at  a  trot. 
For  an  hour  he  made  his  way  through  the  forest  along 
the  windings  of  the  trail,  until  suddenly  he  heard 
grunting  and  trampling  in  advance  and  knew  that  the 
game  was  near.  Slackening  his  pace,  he  crept  carefully 
onward  and  soon  came  to  the  edge  of  a  little  natural 
clearing  full  of  palm-trees  whose  ripe  nuts  lay  scattered 
in  profusion  upon  the  ground. 

Here  the  queixadas  were  holding  high  festival  amid 
the  long  grass,  but  well  out  of  sight  of  Horacio. 

Knowing  the  danger  of  attacking  them  in  the  open, 
the  young  man  crept  into  cover  by  the  path  which  they 
had  followed  and  then  barked  like  a  dog.  The  clever 
imitation  was  instantly  followed  by  a  rush  where  the 
queixadas  were  feeding.  Horacio  barked  again,  and 
immediately  there  was  a  trampling  of  feet  in  response 
and  a  few  grunts  of  authority,  and  in  another  moment 


12  EORACIO 

the  whole  herd  was  upon  him.  Coming  like  the  wind, 
in  the  form  of  a  half-circle  with  the  supposed  dog  in 
the  center,  the  pigs,  obeying  their  fine  military  instinct, 
preserved  their  formation  perfectly  as  they  closed  in 
upon  their  enemy.  The  ground  trembled  beneath  their 
feet  and  the  leaves  and  branches  quivered  at  their  roar- 
ing. 

It  was  a  moment  to  try  the  most  steadfast,  but,  know- 
ing that  they  almost  always  broke  and  fled  at  the  report 
of  a  gun,  the  boy  awaited  with  steady  nerves  the  appear- 
ance of  the  herd,  and,  as  the  first  came  in  sight  in  front 
of  him,  took  deliberate  aim  and  snapped  the  cap.  The 
old  muzzle-loader  missed  fire! 

The  angry  pigs  had  now  joined  the  ends  of  their 
circle  and  Horacio  was  in  the  center.  His  only  hope 
was  a  tree!  Unfortunately  no  suitable  tree  for  climb- 
ing was  included  in  the  area  surrounded  by  the  enraged 
queixadas.  Not  an  instant  was  to  be  lost ! 

Glancing  in  despair  about  him,  all  that  rewarded 
him  was  the  sight  of  a  cipo,  some  three  inches  in  di- 
ameter, which  hung  near  him.  Nine  chances  in  ten 
his  weight  would  bring  it  tumbling  down  from  above — 
yet  it  was  his  only  chance!  With  a  frenzied  leap  he 
seized  it  three  or  four  feet  above  his  head  and  drew 
up  his  limbs,  minus  one  trouser-leg,  which  fluttered 
from  the  tusk  of  an  irate  boar. 

For  a  wonder  the  cipo  held!  He  clung  tighter  and 
glanced  up.  Fifty  feet  of  vine,  like  an  immense  smooth 
cable,  reached  to  the  first  branches  of  the  great  tree 
from  which  it  swung.  His  gun  lay  upon  the  ground, 


HORACIO  13 

already  trampled  out  of  shape  by  the  herd.  His  hat 
had  remained  behind  also. 

Hand  over  hand  Horacio  ascended  until  he  reached 
the  level  of  the  lowest  limb ;  then,  swinging  slowly  from 
side  to  side  on  the  cipo,  he  finally  succeeded  in  throw- 
ing a  leg  over  the  limb  and  seating  himself  upon  it. 

The  queixadas  moved  uneasily  about  beneath  him, 
snuffing  the  air  and  protesting  with  angry  grunts  at 
his  escape  as  they  gazed  up  at  his  swinging  legs  from 
below.  Some  of  them  vented  their  rage  by  tearing  at 
the  bark  of  the  tree  with  their  great  white  tusks  un- 
til they  had  stripped  it  bare  as  high  as  they  could 
reach  and  cut  deep  into  the  wood  itself.  There  was 
no  danger  from  such  an  attack  as  this,  for  the  tree 
was  much  too  great,  but  it  quivered  to  its  utmost  twig 
and  leaf  with  the  furious  onslaught. 

Picking  pieces  of  bark  and  great  masses  of  orchids 
from  the  limbs  near  him,  he  cast  them  down  at  the 
wild-pigs,  abusing  them  the  while  with  the  choicest  se- 
lections from  his  Brazilian  vocabulary: 

"Ah,  patifes!  Shameless  rogues!  Ah,  swine  with- 
out respect!  Ah,  sons  of  such  an  one!  Where  is  my 
gun  now?  Take  this,  and  render  me  my  fine  gun. 
Ah,  malvados,  malucos,  sem  vergonhas,  ye  have  beat- 
en it  out  of  all  shape  and  usefulness!  Take  this  and 
this!  and  know  that  I  have  wherewithal  to  buy  me  a 
better  one,  with  which  I  will  persecute  ye  until  there 
is  no  peace  in  the  forest." 

Tiring  soon  however  of  this  mode  of  venting  his 
anger,  Horacio  began  to  look  about  him.  Night  would 


14  HORACIO 

soon  be  upon  him,  for  the  sun  was  already  fast  sink- 
ing to  rest  amid  heavy  black  clouds.  The  lad  sought 
to  determine  the  point  upon  the  horizon  where  the 
sun  would  mark  the  west,  in  order  that  he  might  be 
able  to  make  his  way  back  in  the  darkness,  but  it 
was  already  too  late  and  the  forest  too  thick  for  him 
to  see  the  waning  glow.  He  remembered  that  the  queix- 
adas  might  not  leave  him  for  days,  sending  detachments 
of  the  herd  to  feed  while  the  rest  kept  guard. 

Well,  they  could  not  keep  a  monkey  prisoner  in  the 
trees,  and  why  should  they  keep  him?  He  would  pass 
from  tree  to  tree  until  he  escaped  them. 

Looking  up  he  searched  for  a  limb  which  might 
serve  as  a  bridge  to  another  tree.  It  was  too  dark 
for  him  to  be  certain,  but  he  thought  he  saw  one,  and 
made  his  way  to  it,  only  to  be  disappointed. 

Hour  after  hour  he  clambered  about  until  his  hands 
were  bleeding  and  his  strength  was  almost  exhausted, 
and  finally  the  full  moon  burst  forth  from  the  clouds 
and  showed  him  that  there  was  no  limb  strong  enough 
to  bear  his  weight  that  would  bring  him  to  another 
tree.  Discouraged  and  disheartened,  he  sank  into  one 
of  the  lower  forks  of  the  tree,  in  a  mass  of  moss  and 
parasites,  disturbing  a  tree-toad  and  a  lizard  and  be- 
coming quickly  covered  with  angry  and  venomous  ants. 
There  was  no  rest  here. 

Taking  his  departure  quickly,  he  sought  a  better 
refuge,  and,  having  settled  himself  comfortably  in  it  to 
sleep,  found  that  the  mosquitoes,  which  had  only  mildly 
tormented  him  while  he  was  moving  about,  had  now 


HORACIO  15 

gathered  over  him  in  such  clouds  that  all  hope  of  sleep 
was  lost. 

The  moon  was  by  this  time  shining  brightly  and  the 
heavy  clouds  had  scattered  far  and  wide.  He  looked 
about  for  a  familiar  star,  but  could  make  none  out 
through  the  thick  branches  of  the  trees.  The  queix- 
adas  still  tramped  sullenly  about  beneath  the  tree,  snif- 
fing the  air  from  time  to  time  to  get  scent  of  him,  and 
he  could  see  them  readily  in  the  bright  moonlight. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  commotion  among  them,  and 
looking  down,  he  saw  them  forming  themselves,  with 
evident  signs  of  terror,  into  a  solid  phalanx  and  intently 
watching  a  dense  clump  of  underbrush  at  a  little  dis- 
tance. 

Horacio's  eyes  followed  the  direction,  and  instantly  he 
divined  the  cause  of  their  alarm.  From  out  the  thick- 
et two  bright  yellow  balls  of  fire  gleamed  like  two  little 
lamps. 

''Ha,  ha!"  chuckled  the  lad,  gleefully:  "ha,  ha!  0 
shameless  porcada!  Senhora  Onga  will  play  with  ye! 
I  wager  money  that  she  will  even  breakfast  with  ye." 

At  the  sound  of  his  voice  he  could  see  the  eyes  of 
the  jaguar  move  a  bit,  and  now  he  could  hear  the  brush 
crackle  as  she  threshed  her  tail  angrily  from  side  to 
side,  then  the  lamps  changed  their  position,  and  pres- 
ently he  could  see  the  dark  form  of  the  jaguar  gliding 
stealthily  around  the  herd,  which  followed  her  every 
movement  with  a  bristling  front  of  gleaming  tusks. 

Evidently  Mistress  Onqa  had  little  liking  to  pay  the 
cost  of  her  breakfast! 


16  HORACIO 

But  of  a  sudden  there  was  a  slight  scattering  of  the 
leaves,  a  roar  of  expectancy  from  the  herd,  and  a  dark 
bunch  passed  through  the  air  and  over  the  heads  of  the 
front  ranks,  falling  full  upon  the  backs  of  those  that 
were  behind. 

With  one  blow  of  her  powerful  paw  the  beautiful 
animal  broke  the  back  of  a  great  hog,  and,  burying 
her  teeth  in  its  neck,  tossed  it  over  her  shoulder  and  in 
an  instant  would  have  been  away,  had  not  a  fierce  boar 
sunk  a  tusk  in  her  flank.  With  a  scream  of  pain  and 
fury  she  dropped  the  carcass  of  the  queixada  and 
turned  upon  her  foes. 

Horacio  could  see  every  movement  from  his  perch 
above — for  they  had  long  since  trampled  the  ground 
smooth  and  cleared  it  of  brush — and  the  moon  shone 
brightly  upon  the  scene. 

Over  and  over  rolled  the  great  cat,  casting  her  foes 
from  her  and  ripping  great  strips  of  flesh  from  them 
with  her  claws  or  breaking  their  backs  with  tremendous 
blows.  The  forest  resounded  with  the  noise  of  battle, 
and  the  birds  and  the  beasts  that  had  been  sleeping 
awoke  and  fled  in  terror  from  the  spot. 

It  seemed  an  hour  that  the  furious  combat  lasted, 
but  it  could  not  have  been  more  than  ten  minutes. 
All  became  silent  at  length,  and  the  boy  could  make 
out  a  dark  heap  of  queixadas  piled  upon  the  beautiful 
striped  mass  of  fur  which  was  all  that  was  left  of  the 
monarch  of  the  South  American  forests.  About  the 
pile  of  slain  the  remnant  of  the  herd  tramped,  nosing 
the  heap  to  see  if  there  was  yet  any  life  in  their  enemy. 


HORACIO  17 

The  lad  was  again  seized  with  anger.  "Will  ye  be 
gone,  miseraveis  ? "  he  cried,  casting  pieces  of  bark  at 
them.  "Have  ye  not  had  enough?  Wretched  scum  of 
the  earth?  Porcada  sem  vergonha!" 

The  queixadas  looked  up  inquiringly  at  the  lad  and, 
as  if  remembering  that  there  was  still  a  feud  to  set- 
tle, disposed  themselves  again  for  the  siege. 

Now  the  lad  regretted  that  he  had  so  thoughtlessly 
spoken,  for  otherwise  they  might  have  gone  away  and 
left  him  free  to  come  down  at  break  of  day. 

The  sun  came  upon  the  scene  at  length,  and  he  was 
able  to  note  the  relative  direction  of  the  limb  upon 
which  he  sat,  for  a  guide  to  serve  him  in  case  the  sun 
became  obscured.  Not  a  cloud  was  in  the  sky  and 
soon  the  vultures  circled  overhead.  Wheeling  around 
and  down  from  the  vast  upper  regions  of  the  air,  their 
numbers  were  gradually  increased  until  at  least  a  hun- 
dred big  black  carrion-birds  were  describing  great  arcs 
above  the  tree-tdps.  Soon  they  settled  upon  the  ground 
here  and  there,  but  the  queixadas  drove  them  away. 
At  this  they  perched  upon  the  limbs  of  trees  and  cocked 
their  great  yellow  orbs  at  the  feast,  as  though  to  say, 
"We  wait,  'tis  true,  but  the  flavor  improves  with  wait- 
ing! All  things  come  to  him  who  waits." 

The  day  wore  on  and  the  flies  gathered  on  the  car- 
casses until  they  made  a  great  humming  and  buzzing 
in  the  sun.  They  also  annoyed  the  queixadas,  who 
stamped  their  feet  and  switched  their  stumpy  tails  im- 
patiently but  would  not  leave  the  place. 

In  the  tree  above  the  gnats  took  the  place  of  the 


18  HORACIO 

long-legged  pests  of  the  night  and  swarmed  about  a 
weary,  hungry,  sleepy  lad  of  sixteen  who  seemed  to 
be  the  center  of  interest  for  some  forty  or  more  great 
pigs,  some  of  which  still  bore  the  marks  of  the  recent 
fray  in  great  slashes  of  the  jaguar's  claws,  while  one 
or  two  crouched  apart  with  broken  limbs. 

By  afternoon  the  stench  from  the  carcasses  was  very 
great,  but  the  others  would  not  leave  them. 

Horacio  passed  another  sleepless  night  in  the  tree 
and  saw  another  cloudless  morning  dawn.  His  thirst 
had  now  become  very  considerable,  although  he  had 
partially  quenched  it  from  time  to  time  by  sucking 
sap  from  the  branches  and  small  vines  about  him.  Weak 
with  hunger  and  wearied  by  the  constant  attack  of  the 
mosquitoes,  he  cut  some  cipos  and  bound  himself  to 
the  tree,  in  order  that  he  might  not  fall.  Rescue  he 
did  not  expect,  as  his  father  was  absent  and  his  mother 
alone  upon  the  place,  her  nearest  neighbor  being  five 
leagues  away. 

It  was  about  eleven  o'clock  when,  of  a  sudden,  the 
herd  pricked  up  its  ears,  stirred  uneasily  about,  and 
then  fell  upon  its  wounded  and,  having  despatched  them 
in  an  instant,  made  off  through  the  forest  at  a  rapid 
trot  A  moment  later  the  vultures  descended  and  fell 
upon  the  putrid  flesh. 

Horacio,  cutting  the  withes  that  bound  him,  clambered, 
slipping  and  falling,  to  the  ground  and,  quickly  hacking 
strips  of  flesh  from  the  queixadas  which  had  been  slain 
by  their  comrades,  ate  the  raw  meat  eagerly  and  hun- 
grily until  his  gorge  rose  at  it  and  he  could  eat  no  more. 


HORACIO  19 

He  then  sought  his  gun,  finding  it  so  twisted  and  bent 
as  to  be  of  no  use.  Casting  it  from  him  with  a  maledic- 
tion, he  took  his  bearings  and  started  for  home  with  a 
bit  of  meat  slung  over  his  shoulder. 

Confident  that  he  had  followed  a  general  southerly 
course,  he  now  sought  to  keep  well  toward  the  north, 
knowing  that  he  ought  soon  to  come  on  some  clearing. 
Hour  after  hour  he  journeyed,  keeping  well  to  his  course, 
but  came  to  no  clearing,  and,  so  far  as  he  could  tell,  only 
penetrated  deeper  than  ever  into  the  forest. 

Finally  he  came  to  a  stop  and  sat  down  to  rest.  The 
flies  buzzed  about  the  meat  that  he  was  carrying  and  the 
odor  told  him  that  it  would  not  last  long.  Gathering  dry 
sticks,  he  struck  a  spark  with  his  flint  and  steel  and 
blew  it  into  a  flame.  Preparing  a  spit,  the  meat  was 
soon  roasted  and  he  made  a  hearty  meal,  reserving  enough 
for  the  morrow  in  case  of  being  obliged  to  spend  another 
night  in  the  forest.  Having  dined  heartily,  he  stretched 
himself  near  his  fire  upon  the  ground  to  rest  a  moment 
and  fell  asleep. 

When  he  awoke,  the  rain  was  falling  upon  his  upturned 
face  and  the  forest  was  as  dark  as  Egypt.  The  lad 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  looked  about  him  for  a  shelter, 
which  was  hard  to  find  in  the  darkness.  Remembering 
his  breakfast,  he  went  to  the  cipo  from  which  it  had  been 
suspended,  only  to  find  that  it  was  gone,  some  four-legged 
thief  having  made  off  with  it  while  he  slept. 

It  was  now  impossible  to  light  a  fire  or  procure  a  light, 
for  the  matto  was  already  damp  and  the  rain  falling 
faster  and  faster.  After  vainly  hunting  for  a  shelter 


20  HORACIO 

from  the  storm  for  some  time,  Horacio  sat  down  upon 
the  ground  with  his  back  against  a  tree  and  let  the  rain 
fall,  as  he  could  not  do  otherwise.  Fortunately  it  was 
not  cold,  although  after  the  rain  had  thoroughly 
drenched  him  the  weather  changed  and  it  became  slight- 
ly cooler. 

Thus  the  night  passed  and  the  morning  brought  no 
cessation  of  the  rain.  As  soon  as  it  was  light  the  boy 
was  on  his  feet.  Now  he  knew,  at  last,  that  he  was 
lost,  for  he  had  not  even  the  sun  to  guide  him  and 
could  not  guess  where  he  was.  All  the  little  woodcraft 
he  knew  was  brought  to  bear  and  all  his  quick  intelli- 
gence, but  he  could  only  trust  to  chance  and,  by  setting 
out  at  random,  hope  to  come  at  last  to  some  clearing. 
This  hope,  however,  was  slim  indeed,  for  there  were 
almost  no  other  clearings  between  his  home  and  the  un- 
tracked  wilderness. 

All  day  he  pushed  forward,  finding  only  a  few  bit- 
ter plums  for  his  hungry  stomach's  satisfaction.  Wa- 
ter to  drink  he  had  when  he  wished  it,  by  the  mere 
throwing  back  his  head  and  opening  his  mouth. 

When  night  came  he  was  somewhere,  but  all  that, 
he  knew  was  that  this  somewhere  was  elsewhere — in 
other  words,  that  he  was  not  where  he  had  passed 
the  previous  night.  He  knew,  also,  that  his  other  trou- 
ser  leg  was  gone  and  that  his  bare  limbs  were  bruised 
and  cut  and  bitten  with  insects,  and  that  he  was  very, 
very  hungry. 

"Who  sleeps,  dines,"  but  who  eats  is  better  satis- 
fied. Arranging  a  shelter  of  leaves  ere  the  light  left 


HORACIO  21 

him,  the  lad  threw  himself  upon  the  ground  and  slept 
the  troubled  sleep  of  weary  hunger.  The  morning 
dawned  cloudless.  The  sun  soon  rose  and  the  jungle 
reeked  and  steamed.  The  wet  heat  after  the  rain 
brought  the  perspiration  from  every  pore  and  made 
the  wanderer  faint  and  languid. 

Knowing  that,  however  far  he  might  be  to  the  north 
or  south,  travelling  east  would  ultimately  bring  him  to 
the  clearings,  Horacio  determined  to  keep  his  face  stead- 
fastly in  that  direction. 

About  noon  he  came  upon  some  more  plums  and 
stayed  his  gnawing  hunger.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
forest,  as  if  knowing  that  he  had  no  gun,  sported 
about  on  every  side  in  the  most  perfect  confidence. 
Once  he  flung  his  knife  at  a  raccoon,  but  missed  him. 
Again  and  again  he  tried  to  bring  down  a  jacu  with 
a  stone,  but  lacked  dexterity.  Of  the  sling  he  knew 
nothing  and  could  not  have  used  it  had  he  known 
how  to  prepare  one.  With  the  bow  and  arrow  he  was 
tolerably  expert,  and,  as  he  made  his  way  through  the 
forest,  he  came  suddenly  upon  an  arrow,  tipped  with 
feathers  and  pointed  with  bone,  lying  in  the  path  of 
the  anta — for  these  great  animals  leave  broad  trails  as 
they  come  and  go  to  their  lairs. 

Startled  at  the  sight  of  the  arrow,  Horacio  looked 
closely  at  the  ground  and  found  both  the  trail  of  the 
great  tapir  and,  also,  the  footprints  of  a  dozen  savages 
upon  it.  Evidently  he  had  gone  many  leagues  west! 

Resuming  his  journey,  he  now  kept  his  eyes  open 
for  a  bit  of  wood  suitable  for  a  bow,  and  soon  came 


22  HORACIO 

upon  such  a  piece  as  he  desired.  Roughly  shaping  this 
to  his  purpose  with  his  knife,  he  set  about  the  manu- 
facture of  a  string  for  his  bow.  He  now  regretted  that 
he  had  not  kept  the  tendons  of  one  of  the  pigs  for  this 
purpose,  but,  not  knowing  how  long  he  would  be  from 
home,  he  had  not  thought  of  it. 

Selecting  fibers  from  a  vine  which  he  knew  was  tough 
and  strong,  he  twisted  them  on  his  knee  as  he  had  often 
twisted  fishing-lines,  and  presently  strung  his  bow  and, 
laying  the  arrow  against  the  cord,  drew  it  back  to  the 
point  and  then  relaxed  it,  wearied  in  his  weakness  by 
the  effort. 

Having  thus  provided  himself  with  a  weapon,  and 
the  forest  growth  being  now  dry,  he  made  his  way 
as  rapidly  as  he  could  toward  the  east,  doing  as  little 
cutting  and  slashing  at  the  vines  and  brush  as  possi- 
ble, in  order  that  he  might  not  disturb  the  game  and 
also  that  he  might  spare  his  strength  and  his  bleed- 
ing and  blistered  hands. 

As  if  in  mockery  of  his  necessities,  the  feathered 
and  four-footed  denizens  of  the  forest,  which  had  hith- 
erto thrown  themselves  in  his  way,  now  kept  their 
distance,  and  it  was  almost  night  ere  a  jacu  gave  him  a 
fair  mark.  The  winged  shaft  sped  on  its  way  and  pierced 
the  fowl  in  the  neck.  Arrow  and  bird  were  soon  in 
the  hands  of  the  famished  lad.  Drawing  the  precious 
arrow  carefully  from  its  neck,  Horacio  lit  a  fire  and  in 
a  few  moments  was  gnawing  at  the  half-raw  flesh. 

It  was  dark  ere  he  had  finished,  but  the  work  was 
well  done,  not  an  atom  worth  consuming  being  left. 


EORACIO  23 

Strengthened  and  encouraged,  the  boy  stretched  him- 
self upon  the  ground  by  the  fire  to  rest,  but  in  an  in- 
stant he  was  upon  his  feet  again,  with  his  hand  upon 
Ms  heart ;  the  sound  of  a  horn  not  far  distant  had  fall- 
en on  his  ears ! 

Convinced  by  this  time  that  he  must  be  well  within 
the  borders  of  the  untamed  bugres,  he  felt  sure  that 
it  could  be  naught  else  than  the  Indians.  What  the 
meaning  of  the  blast  was  he  did  not  know;  it  might  be 
war  or  festivities  or  a  hunt;  but  he  was  not  inclined 
to  investigate,  so,  throwing  green  leaves  upon  his  fire 
to  smother  the  flames,  he  seized  his  bow  and  single 
arrow  and  made  off  as  fast  as  he  could  in  a  direction 
opposite  to  that  whence  came  the  sound  of  the  horn; 
which,  after  being  repeated  a  half-dozen  times,  was  lost 
in  the  distance. 

Pushing  on  for  an  hour  longer,  he  finally  thought 
to  rest,  when  the  sound  of  the  horn  again  fell  upon 
his  ears,  this  time  directly  in  front!  Horacio  was  at 
last  thoroughly  uneasy,  fearing  that  he  had  worked  his 
way  into  the  midst  of  the  savages ;  so,  weary  and  beaten 
about  by  branches  and  trees,  and  hardly  daring  to  use 
his  knife  to  open  a  way  for  himself,  he  stumbled  on  in 
the  moonlight  in  a  direction  diagonal  to  that  which  he 
had  followed. 

After  an  hour's  painful  journey  he  paused  again 
and  flung  himself  upon  the  ground,  too  weary  to  be 
disturbed  by  the  mosquitoes  that  covered  his  nearly 
naked  body  or  even  to  care  whether  he  lived  or  died. 

He  was  awakened  at  length  by  a  cold  nose  in  his 


24  EORACIO 

face  and  sprang  to  his  feet  in  sudden  alarm.  The 
light  of  flickering  torches  dazzled  his  eyes,  which  were 
still  heavy  with  sleep. 

"Found  at  last,  nay  caboclinho  a  toa !"  said  his  father's 
voice,  and  the  man  drew  him  into  a  warm  embrace, 
ere  he  could  realize  what  had  happened.  A  couple  of 
great  hounds  sprang  joyfully  upon  him  and  a  half- 
dozen  neighbors  came  up  one  by  one  and  clasped  the 
boy  in  their  arms  with  friendly  embraces  and  quick 
little  reciprocal  pats  on  the  shoulders. 

"Thou  art  indeed  a  sad  sight  to  see,  and  yet  one 
that  rejoices  my  heart!"  and  the  father  strained  the 
son  again  to  his  breast.  "Thou  hast  travelled  far. 
Two  days  have  we  followed  thee  with  the  dogs.  We 
had  found  thee  sooner  had  not  the  rain  washed  thy 
scent  from  the  ground.  But — the  Virgin  be  praised! — 
we  crossed  it  again  when  thou  hadst  at  last  turned  to- 
ward home. 

"But,  come!  pull  thyself  together,  if  thou  canst, 
and  we  will  sleep  at  home.  Thou  art  half  starved  1 
Take  a  pull  at  this  cachaga!" 

The  boy  drank  greedily  and,  coughing  as  the  hot 
liquor  brought  the  tears  to  his  eyes,  found  his  voice  at 
last. 

"How  is  that?    Sleep  at  home?"  he  cried. 

"Why  not?"  replied  the  older  man,  "thou  canst 
almost  see  the  clearing  from  this  spot.  It  lies  here, 
about  two  hundred  paces  off." 

Horacio  stared  in  amazement.  "I  thought —  '  he 
exclaimed,  then  laughed  aloud,  and  ended  by  bursting 


HORACIO  25 

into  a  wild  fit  of  sobbing,  which  came  to  him  in  his 
nervous  condition  with  the  reaction. 

To  think  that  he  had  wandered  for  five  days  in  the 
woods  and  had  now  fallen  exhausted  at  his  own  door 
without  knowing  it!  The  morning  might  have  seen 
him  making  off  again  into  the  forest,  none  the  wiser, 
had  they  not  come  upon  him  where  he  lay. 

Choking  back  the  nervous,  hysterical  sobs,  the  lad 
struggled  lamely  to  his  feet  and  set  out  for  the  house, 
followed  by  the  men,  all  talking  of  the  strange  hap- 
pening, chaffing  the  boy  and  congratulating  one  another 
on  the  happy  outcome  of  their  quest. 

In  a  few  moments  they  broke  out  into  the  clearing, 
and  the  humble  cabin  was  the  gladdest  sight  that  had 
ever  been  seen  by  a  tired  boy.  Faint  and  famished, 
he  fell  into  the  arms  of  his  mother,  and  then  dropped 
asleep  in  a  corner  and  would  scarce  awake  to  take 
the  stew  of  chicken  and  the  mess  of  rice  and  beans 
which  the  good  woman  set  before  the  hungry  men. 

"Que  bobo!"  said  one,  laughing,  "what  a  ninny! 
Only  to  think  that  he  had  laid  himself  down  out  there 
beyond  the  corn  a  bit  to  sleep!  Why  didst  thou  not 
come  home  to  thy  mother,  lad?" 

The  boy  flushed  and  murmured  something. 

"And  what  of  the  horns  we  blew?  Didst  thou  not 
hear  them?"  asked  another. 

"Ay,  what  of  the  horns,  lad?"  said  his  father,  rest- 
ing his  elbows  upon  the  table,  as  he  stopped  for  a 
minute  in  his  work  of  stripping  a  drumstick  and  looked 
inquiringly  at  the  boy. 


26  HORACIO 

"I  thought  the  bugres  blew  them,"  stammered  the 
lad,  blushing  up  again.  A  roar  of  laughter  came  from 
all  the  men. 

"Ah,  that  is  good!  Bugres,  indeed!  There  are  none 
nigher  than  the  Rio  Feio,"  said  one. 

"Then  I  was  at  the  Rio  Feio,"  retorted  the  boy  an- 
grily, "for  I  found  this  in  the  trail  of  the  anta,  with 
the  marks  of  a  dozen  pairs  of  naked  feet  beside  it," 
and  he  reached  down  and  lifted  the  arrow  from  the 
dirt  floor  where  it  had  fallen  and  laid  it  upon  the 
table,  where  it  was  immediately  seized  upon  and  passed 
from  hand  to  hand.  An  ominous  silence  fell  upon  the 
group. 

"So  the  Indians  are  come  this  way  again  with  war 
arrows,"  Said  one  at  length. 

"May  the  saints  preserve  us  on  the  Border  if  there 
is  trouble  again!"  said  another. 

"May  the  devil  rather  take  the  miscreants  who  have 
stirred  them  up,  friend  Theophilo!"  cried  the  father 
of  Horacio,  throwing  the  arrow  down  upon  the  table 
violently. 

"  'Tis  the  old  question  of  the  Brazilian  stirring  up 
a  fight  to  find  an  excuse  for  stealing  the  bugres'  land. 
We  are  a  bad  set  all  around,  but  I  for  one,  Jose  An- 
tonio de  Castro,  have  no  part  or  sympathy  with  them," 
replied  Theophilo,  rising,  going  to  the  door,  and  looking 
out.  "The  weather  holds.  We  would  best  be  off !" 

"What  to-night?     There  is  no  call  to  go  to-night." 

"Why  not?  The  weather  is  clear:  our  horses  are 
fresh:  we  would  best  be  home." 


HOBACIO  27j 

With  that  he  disappeared  in  the  outer  darkness,  where 
his  neighbors  soon  joined  him,  and  in  a  few  moments 
their  horses  were  crunching  corn  on  the  ear  in  the 
trough  by  the  door,  preparatory  to  their  journey.  The 
men  lingered  by  the  fire  to  chat  and  exchange  surmises 
as  to  the  probabilities  of  a  hostile  visit  from  the  Indians. 
All  agreed  that  a  general  attack  was  not  likely,  but  all 
were  satisfied  as  to  the  advisability  of  keeping  on  the 
alert  against  ambuscade  and  treachery. 

Horacio  had  already  been  asleep  for  some  time  upon 
a  mattress  of  corn-husks  when  the  rescue  party  at  last 
took  its  departure,  and  soon  the  burning  rag  in  the 
copper  dish  of  castor  oil  which  hung  from  a  hook  and 
served  for  a  lamp  was  extinguished  and  the  house 
became  silent  and  dark. 


n 

ANNA. 

IT  WAS  nearly  noon  the  next  day  when  the  boy  awoke, 
with  aching  limbs  and  fierce  hunger.  Gulping  down 
the  cup  of  black  coffee  that  his  mother  handed  him,  he 
stumbled  to  the  door  and  looked  forth  on  a  day  of  bril- 
liant promise. 

His  eyes  roamed  over  the  little  plantation  with  keen 
pleasure.  He  noted  the  long  green  stretch  of  waving 
tasseled  corn  with  pumpkins  growing  between  the  rows, 
the  beans  on  the  right  and  the  mandioca  near  the 
house.  Far  away  on  the  hill-top  could  be  seen  the  dark 
green  of  the  coffee,  with  the  •mamaos  rising  here  and 
there  above  it. 

This  was  home  and  homely  labor,  and  he  knew  that 
even  now  the  growing  crops  were  needing  his  strong 
young  arm.  Then  his  eye  fell  upon  the  long  dark  line 
of  the  forest,  and  his  heart  swelled  with  fierce  anger: 
he  remembered  like  a  hideous  dream  all  that  he  had 
suffered,  and  how  he  had  come  to  lie  down  in  de- 
spair at  the  threshold  of  the  clearing,  perhaps  to  die. 
He  remembered  also  the  rough  chaffing  of  the  neigh- 

28 


ANNA  29 

bors,  and  something  swelled  in  his  throat  on  which 
he  swallowed  hard.  A  mist  swam  before  his  eyes  and 
little  prickly  flashes  of  anger  ran  over  his  body.  His 
mother  called,  and  he  turned  silently  to  the  house 
and  attacked — as  though  to  vent  the  bitterness  of  his 
spirit — the  abundant  breakfast  which  she  had  set  out 
upon  the  table. 

Having  eaten  ravenously  without  a  word,  he  went  out 
and  shortly  returned  with  his  horse,  which  he  tied  to 
the  trough  and  fed  with  ears  of  corn.  Re-entering  the 
house,  he  went  to  the  little  hiding-place  of  his  peculiar 
treasures  and  took  out  a  bunch  of  dirty  paper  money 
which  he  counted  upon  his  knee — two  hundred  and 
forty  milreis,  the  price  of  furs  which  the  old  gun  and 
his  traps  had  brought  him. 

This  was  his  treasure,  hoarded  for  the  purchase  of 
a  new  and  better  gun.  Many  times  during  the  accu- 
mulation of  the  little  fund  he  had  seen  this  breech- 
loading  gun  before  the  eyes  of  his  imagination,  with 
its  inlaid  silver  figures  and  its  Damascus  barrels,  just 
as  he  had  seen  it  in  the  window  of  the  shop  in  Jahu. 
He  hoped  that  it  might  still  be  there,  but  if  it  were  not 
he  knew  that  there  were  others  like  it. 

His  mother  came  to  him  as  he  stood  in  the  door- 
way. 

"Thy  father  said  to  take  the  enxadao  and  go  to  the 
cafezal,  Horacio." 

"Where  is  my  father?"  the  boy  answered  shortly. 

His  mother  started  at  the  tone  of  his  voice.  There 
was  a  quality  there  which  was  new  to  her,  and  she 


30  HORACIO 

did  not  recognize  the  lad  who  had  followed  the  mon- 
keys into  the  matto  a  few  days  before. 

"He  has  gone  to  Augustinho's  to  fetch  the  children. 
He  ought  to  be  back  by  this  time,  for  he  went  with 
Augustinho  last  night." 

Horacio  took  his  saddle  from  a  peg  on  the  wall  and 
limped  to  the  door,  saying  as  he  went, 

"Tell  him  I  have  gone  to  Jahu  to  get  me  a  gun. 
I  am  too  sore  to  work  to-day.  Besides,  I  have  struck 
a  hoe  into  the  ground  for  the  last  time.  Remembran- 
ces to  the  children!  Adeus!  Until  to-morrow,  if  God 
wills,  and  if  not,  until  the  day  after!" 

The  mother  looked  after  him  as  he  flung  the  sad- 
dle upon  his  horse  and  rode  off,  sighed  and  went  back 
to  her  work,  too  well  accustomed  to  have  no  voice  in 
the  family  affairs,  after  the  manner  of  many  Brazilian 
women,  to  interpose  objection  or  suggestion. 

The  town  of  Jahu  lay  more  than  a  dozen  Brazilian 
leagues  away,  but  Horacio  knew  that  he  could  make 
the  fifty  miles  easily  before  night,  although  he  had 
not  reckoned  on  the  condition  of  his  sore  and  weary 
body.  Nevertheless  he  pushed  on  and,  in  spite  of  aches 
and  pains,  reached  the  town  at  eight  in  the  evening  and 
drew  rein  before  his  uncle's  door,  a  humble  little  house 
in  the  outskirts  of  the  village.  All  was  silent  within 
and  the  only  light  visible  was  that  which  found  its  way 
through  some  chinks  in  the  wall. 

"Oh,  the  house!"  he  called  and  clapped  his  hands. 
No  sign  of  life  evidenced  that  his  call  was  heard,  so 
he  repeated  it  in  louder  tones.  At  the  second  call  a 


ANNA  31 

shuffling  step  was  heard  and  an  old  woman  unbarred 
the  door  and  looked  out  into  the  night. 

''Good  evening!"  cried  Horacio.  "Is  my  good  uncle, 
Sor  Henrique,  at  home?" 

' '  May  the  Saints  preserve  us !  'tis  Horacio !  Art  thou 
well?  Are  all  well  at  home?  We  are  in  sad  times  here. 
Anna  and  I  have  just  finished  the  rosary  for  the  re- 
pose of  his  soul,  for  we  have  no  money  for  masses.  Thy 
poor  uncle  was  buried  yesterday — God  rest  him !  I  came 
to  keep  Anna  company  until  we  can  dispose  of  her  in 
some  other  way.  But  dismount!  Dismount  and  enter! 
What  a  clatter-jaw  I  am  to  leave  the  poor  fellow  a-sit- 
ting  there  and  me  a-talking  and  a-talking. ' ' 

At  this  moment  a  young  girl  of  some  fourteen  years 
approached  the  door  from  within  and  looking  over 
the  garrulous  old  woman's  shoulder,  gravely  saluted 
Horacio.  The  lad,  all  taken  aback  by  the  news  of  his 
uncle's  death,  slipped  from  the  saddle  and  led  his 
horse  through  a  little  side  gate  which  Donna  Brigida 
opened  for  him,  and,  having  removed  the  saddle  and 
supplied  him  with  corn,  entered  the  house  with  clank- 
ing spurs  on  his  bare  heels  trailing  across  the  wooden 
floors. 

Shaking  hands  with  both  women,  he  fell  rather  than 
sat  upon  the  bench  which  was  offered  him  and  glanced 
about  the  dimly  lighted  room. 

A  long  counter  ran  its  length  in  the  middle,  and 
against  the  walls  were  shelves  on  which  were  packages 
of  matches,  tins  of  goiabada,  little  round  white  cheeses, 
and  all  the  various  small  matters  which  supply  the 


32  HORACIO 

ordinary  needs  of  the  Brazilian  household.  A  few  dirty 
bottles  made  up  the  list  and  a  small  barrel  on  a  stand 
explained  the  presence  of  some  upturned  glasses  upon 
a  tin  draining-tray. 

Over  against  the  tray,  upon  the  whitewashed  wall, 
could  still  be  seen  the  scores  of  some  regular  customers 
penciled  on  the  uneven  surface,  which  represented  the 
only  attempt  at  bookkeeping  the  deceased  merchant  had 
made. 

It  was  a  small  venda  in  the  ordinary  course  of  things, 
and  served  also  as  a  common  sitting-room.  Behind  it 
were  a  couple  of  sleeping-rooms  and  a  small  lean-to 
kitchen.  All  this  was  a  common  enough  sight  to  Horacio, 
who  had  often  visited  his  uncle,  his  only  remaining  rel- 
ative excepting  those  of  the  immediate  family  circle. 

Donna  Brigida  was  already  blowing  the  embers  into 
a  blaze  in  the  fogao  and  called  to  him  to  know  if  he  had 
dined.  Upon  receiving  a  negative  reply,  she  proceeded 
with  her  work  and  soon  could  be  heard  shifting  pots  and 
kettles  about  over  the  blaze. 

Anna  sat  listlessly  on  a  stool  in  the  front  room,  im- 
mersed in  thought  or  drowsy  with  fatigue.  Presently 
Horacio  spoke. 

"What  ailed  Tio  Henrique?"  he  asked. 

"It  is  not  known,"  replied  the  girl,  in  a  clear,  sweet 
voice,  rousing  herself  upon  the  stool  and  looking  up 
at  him.  "He  had  been  ailing  some  time.  First  he 
would  say  it  was  his  spleen  and  then  his  liver :  presently 
it  was  his  kidneys  and  then  his  heart.  Alas,  God  rest 
him!  It  would  seem  that  he  was  all  gone  wrong  inside. 


'ANNA  33 

So  he  took  tea  of  one  thing  and  tea  of  another,  but  got 
no  better.  Alas,  alas,  how  the  poor  man  suffered ! 

"At  last  he  went  to  Doctor  Pereira,  who  gave  him  a 
long  prescription  of  a  most  ill-smelling  and  costly  stuff, 
and,  as  that  did  him  no  good,  the  next  day  he  went  to 
Doctor  Alcides,  who  gave  him  another,  and  that  did 
him  no  manner  of  good  either,  so  he  went  to  Doctor 
da  Costa.  Oh,  the  pain  of  it !  Each  recipe  cost'  him 
five  milreis  to  write  and  five  more  to  buy,  arid  he  died 
with  the  third.  Alas,  he  was  a  good  man! — although 
a  bit  careful  with  his  money.  What  shall  I  do,  Horacio  ? 
I  have  nowhere  to  go ! " 

"Yes,  poor  soul,"  said  the  old  woman,  appearing  at 
the  door,  "although  Sor  Henrique — God  rest  him! — 
was  no  kin  to  her,  yet  for  his  woman's  sake  he  always 
took  care  of  her.  I'll  take  her  to  Father  Joao  to-morrow, 
for  the  house  goes  to  thy  father  and  there  is  nothing 
else. 

"Father  Joao  was  here  to  see  him  die  and  stayed  with 
the  corpse  all  night.  He  is  no  ordinary  man  and  has 
promised  to  care  for  the  girl.  Yet  'tis  well  that  thou 
hast  come,  for  thou  canst  see  the  authorities  and  arrange 
to  dispose  of  the  house,"  and  with  this  she  disappeared 
again  in  the  kitchen. 

Horacio  looked  at  the  young  girl  with  renewed  inter- 
est. "No  kin  to  Sor  Henrique!"  he  mused.  "Ah,  I 
remember  now." 

It  was  indeed  true.  She  was  the  daughter,  by  a 
former  marriage,  of  the  dead  man's  wife  who  had  pre- 
ceded him  to  the  better  land.  The  girl  was  angular  and 


34  HORACIO 

thin — almost  scrawny — with  a  great  mass  of  heavy  black 
hair  like  an  Indian,  large  flashing  black  eyes  and  gleam- 
ing teeth — the  latter  set  in  a  wide  mouth  which  was 
ever  as  ready  to  lend  itself  to  laughter  as  it  was  to 
weeping. 

No  one  would  have  called  the  girl  good  looking,  with 
her  sallow  skin  and  sunken  cheeks,  but  there  was  life, 
and  much  of  it,  in  her  fine  eyes,  and  some  promise  in 
her  carriage,  although  she  was  fourteen  and  still  a  girl, 
when  a  Brazilian  is  expected  to  be  a  woman. 

Horacio's  thoughts  were  interrupted  by  the  voice  of 
Donna  Brigida  calling  to  Anna  to  lay  the  cloth.  A  bit 
of  cotton  which  looked  sufficiently  like  a  sheet  to  give 
one  suspicions  of  its  dual  office  was  doubled  across  one 
end  of  the  table  and  upon  this  the  girl  placed  the 
simple  crockery  for  the  meal.  Donna  Brigida  then 
handed  in  the  steaming  dishes  from  the  kitchen;  for 
in  some  marvellous  way  the  dinner  comes  from  the 
Brazilian  fogao  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time. 

Both  women  sat  and  watched  him  by  the  light  of 
a  little  oil  lamp  made  of  a  bit  of  wicking  passed  through 
a  tin  tube  and  set  in  a  small  glass  bottle  of  kerosene. 
The  elder  woman  was  not  pleasant  to  look  upon,  be- 
ing anything  but  tidy  in  her  dress,  and  bearing  a  large 
goitre  upon  her  neck.  Horacio  remembered  having 
seen  her  several  times  before. 

The  meal  finished,  the  women  made  up  a  husk  bed 
on  the  floor,  and  Horacio,  after  turning  his  horse  in- 
to a  neighboring  pasture,  flung  himself  upon  it  and  fell 
immediately  into  a  sound  sleep. 


ANNA  35 

The  following  day  there  was  a  council  of  the  friends 
of  the  family  with  the  village  priest  and  the  civil  author- 
ities. The  house  and  business  were  sold,  by  advice  of 
friends  and  the  consent  of  the  boy,  to  a  neighbor  for  a 
conto  of  reis — cash  down,  as  they  stood — and  this  money 
was  turned  over  to  Horacio  to  carry  to  his  father,  after 
the  expenses  of  interment  had  been  deducted.  Posses- 
sion was  to  be  given  the  following  dayK 

All  the  world  wondered  that  there  was  nothing  else 
to  the  estate,  as  the  deceased  was  known  as  a  care- 
ful man  and  a  close  liver.  Anna  attempted  to  speak 
of  a  supposed  secret  hoard,  but  Father  Joao  laughed 
her  to  silence  and  the  girl  shrank  back  and  said  nothing. 

The  disposal  of  the  girl  herself  promised  to  be  a  more 
difficult  matter  than  that  of  the  little  house  and  shop, 
but  Father  Joao  spoke  up  promptly. 

"Anninha  would  best  help  with  the  chores  at  the 
vicarage  until  I  can  find  her  a  place  in  some  good  family. 
Come,  girl,  make  up  thy  bundle  and  come  with  me ! " 

The  neighbors  rose  and  dispersed,  thanking  the  good 
padre  for  his  benevolence  and  glad  to  be  rid  of  any 
responsibility  in  the  affair.  The  magistrate  also  readily 
gave  his  assent  to  the  guardianship  without  consult- 
ing the  most  interested  party,  but  Horacio  looked 
inquiringly  at  the  girl,  who  answered  his  look  with  a 
wistful,  half-frightened  glance. 

"I'll  see  thee  again  before  I  go,  Anna,"  he  said,  and 
pressed  the  lonely  child's  hand  as  he  went  off  toward 
the  town,  intent  on  purchasing  his  long-coveted  gun  for 
which  he  had  made  the  long  journey. 


36  HORACIO 

What  was  his  disappointment,  on  reaching  the 
dealer's,  to  find  that  no  such  gun  as  he  desired  could  be 
obtained  in  Jahu.  Here  was  his  trip  for  nothing!  No, 
it  was  not  for  nothing,  for  he  was  taking  some  eight 
hundred  milreis  with  him  to  his  father.  He  turned 
to  leave  the  gunsmith's  shop,  bitterly  disappointed,  when 
the  man  called  him  back. 

"If  you  want  something  extra  good  for  the  sertao, 
I  have  a  Winchester  rifle,  44  calibre,  fourteen  shots 
without  reloading.  Talk  about  guns,  this  is  a  gun! 
Just  see  here!  You  pull  this  lever  and — tek! —  there  it 
is,  unloaded  and  loaded  again  in  the  flash  of  an  eye!" 
and  he  held  it  up  admiringly. 

Horacio  took  the  gun  and  examined  it  with  lively 
curiosity,  then  shook  his  head. 

"No,"  he  said,  "a  rifle  is  no  use  in  the  sertao.  For 
an  onga  it  is  very  well,  when  the  beast  is  up  a  tree,  but 
for  small  game  it  does  not  serve,"  and  he  laid  the  fire- 
arm on  the  counter. 

"Nonsense,"  replied  the  dealer,  "I  have  seen  a  man 
flick  the  ashes  from  the  cigarette  in  his  wife's  mouth  at 
a  hundred  paces.  'Tis  said  there  are  hunters  who 
can  cut  the  head  from  any  bird  with  this  gun  and  not 
miss  once  in  ten  times.  Ay,  'tis  even  said  there  are 
those  who  can  send  a  ball  through  two  birds  as  they 
pass  each  other  flying  in  opposite  directions." 

Horacio  smiled  incredulously,  but  took  the  gun  again 
while  the  dealer  explained  to  him  how  the  sights  could 
be  altered  for  distance  and  also  corrected  for  any  lateral 
error. 


ANNA  37 

"Only  a  hundred  and  fifty  milreis,"  urged  the  man. 
"That  is  just  seventy-five  milreis  less  than  the  other 
would  have  been.  Come!  If  you  will  take  the  rifle 
I  will  put  you  in  a  box  of  fifty  cartridges  with  it  What 
do  you  say?" 

Horacio  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded.  He  was 
set  upon  a  purpose  and,  fascinated  with  the  exploits 
of  the  gun,  he  believed  that  what  man  had  done  man 
could  do.  In  a  blind  unreasoning  way  he  was  filled 
with  rage  against  the  sertao  and  was  bent  on  conquer- 
ing it  and  bringing  it  to  his  feet. 

He  paid  the  man  for  the  Winchester,  purchased  a 
hundred  cartridges  besides  those  which  were  included 
in  the  purchase  price  and  a  small  pocket  compass, 
and  returned  to  the  house. 

The  day  was  well  nigh  spent  and  dinner  was  wait- 
ing for  him,  but  Anna  was  gone.  He  laid  the  gun  upon 
the  counter  and  sat  down  to  eat.  When  he  had  finished 
his  coffee  there  came  a  knock  at  the  door. 

"Da  licenga?"  a  familiar  voice  said,  inquiringly,  and 
Anna  entered  with  an  old  woman  at  her  heels.  The 
girl  seemed  relieved  at  sight  of  him,  but,  having  shaken 
hands — as  is  the  inevitable  custom — went  immediately 
to  her  room,  explaining  that  she  had  forgotten  some 
small  article.  The  old  woman  followed  her  closely. 
Horacio  heard  the  girl  rummaging  about  in  the  interior 
apartment  and  exclaiming  as  she  hunted,  "Now,  where 
can  it  be?  Where  can  it  be?  Have  I  lost  it  alto- 
gether?" 

Thus  she  went  on,  now  speaking  aloud  and  now  to 


38  HOBACIO 

herself.  Presently  she  approached  the  wall  against 
which  he  was  leaning. 

"Can  it  be  in  this  corner?  Oh,  Horacio!" — this  last 
came  in  a  quick  whisper — "take  me  away!"  and  then 
in  a  louder  yoice^  ' '  Here  it  is,  to  be  sure !  How  stupid 
of  me ! "  and  both  women  came  out  of  the  inner  room  and 
left  the  house  after  shaking  hands  once  more. 

Horacio  had  started  from  his  stool  at  sound  of  the 
appeal  which  came  through  the  frail  partition,  in  which 
there  was  a  sharp  note  of  distress.  As  he  shook 
Anninha's  hand  she  looked  at  him  beseechingly  and  he 
pressed  her  hand  quickly  in  reassurance.  With  a  re- 
lieved face  the  girl  went  out,  turning  her  head  as 
the  door  closed  behind  her  to  make  sure  that  he  under- 
stood. Horacio  was  already  making  for  the  rear  door, 
and,  slipping  hastily  along  the  side  of  the  house,  he 
followed  the  two  women  through  the  gathering  dusk. 

With  his  hunter's  training  it  was  play  for  him  to 
track  them  thus  without  being  himself  discovered,  and 
soon,  to  his  surprise,  he  found  that  they  were  not  going 
to  the  priest's  house,  which  was  hard  by  the  church,  but 
in  another  direction.  Finally  they  reached  a  small 
house  on  the  farther  side  of  the  town  and  entered 
quickly,  both  of  them  glancing  sharply  about  to  see  if 
they  were  observed,  but  for  different  reasons.  The  old 
woman  saw  no  one:  Anna  caught  a  glimpse  of 
Horacio  just  peering  around  the  corner. 

Having  ascertained  all  that  he  desired  to  know  for 
the  present,  the  lad  took  his  way  back  to  the  town,  where 
he  spent  a  few  milreis  in  the  purchase  of  some  very 


ANNA  39 

gaudy  handkerchiefs  and  bits  of  machine-made  lace. 
Why  Brazilian  women  will  wear  cheap  imported  lace 
when  they  themselves  make  exquisite  patterns  and  sell 
them  for  ridiculously  low  prices,  is  one  of  the  unsolved 
problems  of  that  land! 

By  the  time  Horacio  had  completed  his  purchase  it 
was  dark  enough  for  him  to  examine  safely  the  build- 
ing which  Anna  had  entered.  Tucking  his  drygoods  away 
in  a  safe  and  convenient  place  inside  his  shirt,  he 
slipped  quietly  down  the  street  and  soon  reached  the 
house,  which  stood  on  a  line  with  the  sidewalk,  and 
from  it  on  either  side  a  wall  extended  which  enclosed  a 
small  garden  and  some  fruit  trees.  The  shutters  were 
closed  in  front  and  no  light  was  visible  through  them. 

After  five  minutes  spent  in  inspection  of  the  house 
from  this  side,  the  lad  passed  entirely  around  it  and 
decided  that  he  would  have  to  scale  the  wall  to  gain 
any  further  information.  No  sooner  thought  than  done ! 
Like  a  cat  he  mounted  the  wall,  and  there  he  sat  for  a 
moment  panting,  for  he  had  not  yet  regained  his 
strength  since  his  adventure  in  the  forest. 

Suddenly  the  sound  of  fierce  barking  broke  the  silence 
of  the  night,  and  a  large  and  savage  dog  ran  furiously 
toward  him  from  the  house  through  the  shrubbery. 

"Ho,  ho,  my  friend!  I  am  fond  of  dogs,  but  this 
noise  must  stop.  It  is  too  bad  to  do  thee  harm,  but 
thou  art  champion  of  an  evil  cause." 

While  thus  apostrophizing  him  inwardly  he  had 
slipped  off  his  jacket  and  rolled  it  about  his  left  arm. 
Drawing  his  keen  knife  from  its  sheath,  he  dropped 


40  HORACIO 

quickly  to  the  ground,  when  with  one  fierce  leap  the 
brute  was  upon  him  and  closed  his  teeth  upon  his  out- 
stretched arm  protected  by  the  coat. 

A  swift  blow  and  the  long  knife  buried  itself  be- 
tween his  ribs.  Without  a  moan  he  loosed  his  hold 
on  the  rolled  garment  and  fell  upon  the  ground. 
Horacio  heard  a  door  open. 

"Lion!  good  fellow,  what  is  it?"  called  the  voice  of 
the  old  woman. 

The  quick-witted  boy  gave  a  sharp  yelp,  imitating 
the  tone  of  the  faithful  canine  martyr,  then  made  a 
sound  of  scratching  on  the  bark  of  a  tree  with  his  knife, 
mewed  like  a  cat,  and  then  spat  in  true  feline  manner. 

"Oh!  cats  again,  is  it?    Give  it  to  them,  good  fellow!" 

Horacio  whined  and  the  woman  re-entered  the  house 
and  shut  the  door,  perfectly  satisfied. 

Certain  now  that  there  was  but  one  such  guardian 
of  the  place,  the  lad  crept  stealthily  toward  the  house 
and  was  rewarded  by  finding  a  shutter  partially  open. 
Here  he  posted  himself  out  of  sight  in  the  shadow  and 
examined  the  interior  of  the  room,  which  was  evidently 
the  sala  of  the  house. 

The  furnishing  was  good  for  a  house  of  the  kind. 
A  round  table  stood  at  one  side  of  the  room  with  two 
long  rows  of  chairs  extending  down  from  it  toward  the 
other  side,  in  the  usual  fashion.  Against  the  wall,  fac- 
ing the  rows,  was  a  settee,  and  on  the  floor  some  mats. 
The  interior  was  all  neatly  whitewashed  and  a  number 
of  pictures  hung  upon  the  walls,  among  them  gaudy 
chromos  of  King  Humbert  and  Queen  Margaret  of  Italy 


'ANNA  41 

and  His  Holiness  the  Pope.  A  large  chromo  calendar 
also  adorned  the  wall  and  a  couple  of  candles  burned 
upon  the  table. 

There  were  four  persons  in  the  room  and  of  these 
two  were  already  known  to  Horacio.  The  others  were  two 
loud-talking  and  rather  overdressed  girls  who  had  some 
claims  to  a  rather  coarse  sort  of  good  looks. 

Horacio  could  only  hear  an  occasional  word  of  the 
conversation,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  window  was 
closed,  but  he  could  see  that  Anna  looked  anxious  and 
ill  at  ease,  and  it  seemed  to  him  that  the  girls  were  in 
some  way  annoying  her.  Once  she  gave  a  frightened 
glance  in  his  direction,  but  he  was  well  out  of  sight. 

How  to  indicate  his  presence  was  the  problem !  After 
thinking  fruitlessly  for  some  time,  he  determined  to 
risk  all  and  attract  her  attention  at  any  hazard.  Plac- 
ing himself  in  full  view  of  the  girl,  in  the  opening  be- 
tween the  shutters,  but  out  of  sight  of  the  others,  he 
tapped  smartly  against  the  glass,  as  a  beetle  would  do. 

Anna  raised  her  eyes  and  looked  directly  into  his. 
By  her  sudden  change  of  color  he  saw  that  he  was  ob- 
served, and  instantly  bounded  away  into  the  darkness  of 
the  garden. 

Almost  at  the  same  moment  the  door  opened  again 
and  the  old  woman  peered  out  into  the  night.  He 
could  see  by  her  face,  in  the  light  streaming  from  the 
door,  that  she  was  in  no  way  uneasy,  but  rather  from 
habitual  caution  sought  the  cause  of  the  noise. 

"It  must  have  been  a  bizouro,"  she  said  calmly,  and 
closed  the  door. 


42  EORACIO 

Horacio  instantly  returned  to  his  post  at  the  window, 
where  he  remained  for  at  least  an  hour,  observing  the 
interior  of  the  room.  From  time  to  time  Anna  lifted 
her  great  eyes  serenely  to  the  window  and  looked  stead- 
ily at  him.  Meanwhile  the  gossip  and  chitchat  went  on 
until  at  length  the  old  woman  began  to  stir  about  and 
prepare  the  house  for  retiring. 

The  watcher  at  the  window  now  saw  that  he  must  be 
gone,  so  he  slipped  away  again  and  hid  himself  in  the 
shrubbery  near  by. 

Presently  the  old  woman  opened  the  door  and  called, 
"Leao!  Leao!" 

The  boy  trembled  with  apprehension,  for  he  was  too 
near  to  attempt  to  answer  for  the  dog. 

"What!  Still  watching  the  cat?"  she  queried,  and 
then  turned  and  went  to  one  of  the  shutters  and  laid 
a  bar  across  it,  dropping  it  into  two  iron  hooks  on  the 
outside.  Horacio  now  noticed  that  several  of  the 
windows  were  arranged  in  this  manner,  but,  as  she  did 
not  secure  the  others  with  their  bars,  he  surmised  that 
Anna  was  to  be  held  in  the  room  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  her  reception  in  this  manner. 

Secure  in  this  conviction,  his  doubts  of  the  success 
of  his  enterprise  began  to  leave  him.  Lisrhts  moved 
here  and  there;  the  shutters  of  the  sala  were  closed, 
a  narrow  ray  of  light  shot  suddenly  from  those  shutters 
which  had  been  barred  from  without,  then  in  a  short 
time  all  was  silence. 

For  an  hour  longer  Horacio  waited.  All  signs  of  life 
had  long  ago  disappeared.  At  last  the  boy  crept  to  the 


ANNA  43 

window  and  gently  lifted  the  bar  from  its  place. 
Cautious  as  he  had  been  in  all  his  movements,  yet  they 
did  not  escape  the  ears  of  one  who  was  watching. 

"I  thought  thou  wouldst  never  come,"  came  the  soft 
whisper,  "but  it  is  all  useless.  There  is  a  heavy  pad- 
lock on  the  inside ! ' '  and  a  sob  trembled  in  her  voice. 

Horacio  muttered  an  imprecation  between  his  teeth 
and  thought  a  moment. 

"Art  thou  alone?"  he  asked  at  length. 

"Yes,"   came  the  answer. 

"Is  the  room  ceiled  or  canst  thou  see  the  tiles  of  the 
roof?" 

"I  can  see  the  tiles." 

"Then  wait!" 

A  ladder  was  necessary,  also  a  rope.  The  former 
could  be  secured  at  the  house  which  he  had  that  morning 
sold,  and  for  the  latter  the  rawhide  lariat  hanging  at 
his  saddle  would  suffice:  but  how  to  bring  the  ladder 
from  one  side  of  the  town  to  the  other  was  the  question. 
He  would  think  of  it  on  the  way,  but  first  he  would 
search  the  yard. 

To  his  great  delight  he  came  upon  a  ladder  leaning 
against  a  jaboticabeira.  Placing  it  against  the  wall,  he 
dropped  into  the  street  and  made  off  on  a  run  to  the 
house. 

Flinging  the  saddle  on  his  good  horse,  without  stop- 
ping to  give  him  a  feed  of  corn,  he  slung  his  rifle  across 
his  back,  stowed  the  cartridges  in  the  alforges,  and 
quickly  returned  to  the  house  where  Anna  was  and  there 
he  left  his  horse  to  crop  the  grass  by  the  walk. 


44  EORACIO 

Detaching  his  lariat  from  the  saddle,  he  climbed  over 
the  wall  and  soon  had  the  ladder  leaning  against  the 
house  between  the  widow  of  the  sala  and  that  of  the 
room  where  the  girl  was  confined.  Mounting  quickly 
to  the  roof,  he  proceeded  to  detach  the  tiles  as  gently 
and  noiselessly  as  possible,  and  soon  had  made  an  open- 
ing of  considerable  size  with  the  loosened  tiles  piled  on 
either  side. 

The  heavy  brick  tiles  had  rested  upon  slats  of  bamboo, 
which  were  bound  to  the  rafters  by  withes  and,  as 
it  was  necessary  to  remove  a  number  of  these  with  his 
knife,  the  utmost  care  must  be  exercised  in  order  not 
to  make  the  least  sound,  lest  it  might  awaken  the  zealous 
guardian  of  the  house. 

The  withes  were  old  and  as  hard  as  iron,  and  at  least 
three  hours  were  consumed  in  the  task;  so  that  for  a 
time  the  boy  feared  that  his  toil  would  be  useless  and 
morning  would  dawn  ere  he  had  completed  the  work: 
but  at  last  the  slats  gave  way  and  there  was  an  aperture 
sufficiently  large  for  the  girl  to  pass.  Success  was  al- 
most assured! 

Meanwhile  Anna  had  not  been  idle,  but  had  moved 
a  table  beneath  the  opening  and  upon  this  she  had  set  a 
chair  and  was  now  standing  upon  it,  with  her  head  only 
about  three  feet  below  the  aperture.  The  rope  would 
not  be  necessary  after  all. 

Horacio  braced  himself  above  and  reached  down  his 
hands  to  the  girl.  In  an  instant  her  elbows  were  resting 
upon,  the  edge  of  the  hole  and  a  great  pile  of  tiles  fell 
with-  a  crash"  upon,  the  floor ! 


ANNA  45 

"Quick!  Quick!  or  we  are  lost!"  cried  the  startled 
lad,  his  heart  thumping  with  excitement.  "Up  thou 
comest!"  and  he  rose  to  his  feet  and  drew  the  girl 
up  beside  him.  "  Now,  down  the  ladder,  and  I  will 
follow!" 

The  girl  scrambled  down  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye 
and  was  already  upon  the  ground  when  the  house  door 
opened  and  the  old  woman  appeared,  armed  with  a 
light  and  a  garrucha  of  formidable  size,  which  she  dis- 
charged into  the  darkness  in  the  direction  of  the  young 
people,  having  no  idea  that  her  ward  was  already  in 
the  patio. 

A  hail  of  buckshot  cut  the  leaves  from  the  shrubbery 
close  by  the  fugitives.  A  sharp  exclamation  of  fright 
came  from  the  girl  and  she  began  to  go  up  the  ladder 
which  Horacio  had  set  against  the  outside  wall. 

"Look  out  for  the  other  barrel!"  cried  the  boy,  but 
she  could  now  be  readily  seen  against  the  sky,  as  she 
stood  upon  the  wall,  and  the  woman  would  not  shoot. 
"Jump!  Jump!"  exclaimed  Horacio.  "Never  mind 
me!" 

The  girl  obeyed  and  jumped,  and  the  lad  sprang  upon 
the  ladder.  At  that  moment  the  woman  laid  hold  upon 
his  trouser  leg,  but  he  kicked  her  as  hard  as  he  could 
with  his  bare  toes  and  she  fell  backward  into  the  bushes. 
In  a  moment  he  was  upon  the  wall,  but  as  he  turned 
to  see  what  had  become  of  his  antagonist,  a  second  re- 
port rang  out  and  he  felt  a  blow  on  his  breast  as  a  ball 
struck  him.  A  sharp  pang  went  through  his  heart  and 
he  fell  backward  upon  the  grass  outside  the  wall. 


46  HORACIO 

"Fly  Fly!"  he  called  faintly  to  the  girl  whose 
cause  he  had  so  bravely  championed,  but  she  would  not 
leave  him,  although  doors  and  windows  now  began  to 
open  and  voices  to  be  heard  upon  the  street.  The 
horse  was  snuffing  at  the  face  of  his  fallen  master  and 
gazing  at  Anna  in  mute  protest  and  entreaty.  In  a 
moment  they  would  be  the  center  of  a  curious  and  angry 
crowd,  and  then  the  long  night's  work  would  be  in 
vain. 

Seeing  that  the  girl  would  not  make  use  of  her  dearly- 
bought  liberty,  Horacio  made  a  great  effort  and  raised 
himself  upon  his  elbow.  Finding  that  he  still  had  con- 
trol of  his  limbs,  he  sat  up,  placing  one  hand  upon  his 
throbbing  heart,  then  sprang  to  his  feet,  cast  the  rein 
on  Bonito's  neck,  with  one  leap  was  in  the  saddle,  and, 
ere  his  pursuers  could  reach  him,  had  lifted  the  girl  up 
behind  him  and  was  off  at  a  gallop. 

Clinging  closely  to  her  young  companion,  Anna 
turned  and  looked  back  for  signs  of  pursuit.  Horacio 
kept  on  in  a  direction  opposite  to  that  in  which  the 
sitio  lay.  For  two  hours  he  pushed  on  as  fast  as  his 
sturdy  young  horse  could  stand  it,  then  he  felt  th^ 
girl  grow  heavy  on  his  shoulder. 

"She  sleeps,"  he  thought,  and  turned  to  catch  her 
as  she  slipped  from  her  position.  The  horse  had  now 
left  the  main  traveled  road,  and  Horacio  was  follow- 
ing a  circuitous  route  by  a  by-path  through  the  matto 
to  gain  his  home. 

Knowing  that  pursuit  was  now  no  longer  likely,  he  let 
the  girl  drop  to  the  ground,  intending  to  rest  his  horse 


ANNA  47 

ere  he  resumed  his  journey  and  at  the  same  time  attend 
to  his  wound,  which  was  paining  him  severely. 

As  Anna  dropped  to  the  ground  a  warm,  slippery  fluid 
spread  over  his  hand  and  he  lost  his  hold  on  her,  so 
that  she  slid  from  his  grasp  to  the  grass  by  the  roadside. 
Instantly  he  dropped  upon  his  knees  beside  her,  and  by 
the  dim  light  of  the  moon  saw  that  she  had  fainted. 

Hastening  to  the  corrego,  he  brought  water  in  his 
hat  and  dashed  it  upon  her  face.  As  she  came  to  herself 
he  begged  her  to  tell  him  where  she  was  hurt. 

"Here,"  she  murmured  faintly,  pointing  to  her  left 
arm.  Horacio  slit  the  sleeve,  finding  her  arm  drenched 
with  blood  and  also  the  skirt  of  the  dress  below  it, 
where  it  had  run  down  while  she  was  in  the  saddle. 
Bringing  more  water,  he  bathed  it  gently  and,  on 
washing  away  the  blood,  found  a  small  hole  where  a 
buckshot  had  passed  entirely  through  the  flesh — for- 
tunately without  injuring  the  bone. 

Leaving  her  for  an  instant,  he  hunted  in  the  dim 
light  of  dawn  which,  as  the  sun  came  near  the  horizon, 
was  now  taking  the  place  of  moonlight,  and  in  a  few 
moments  was  fortunate  enough  to  find  some  leaves 
which  he  well  knew  to  have  great  healing  virtue.  With 
these  he  returned  and,  washing  the  wound  again, 
bound  the  arm  about  with  the  leaves,  using  the  lace 
and  handkerchiefs  which  he  had  bought  for  his  mother 
and  sisters. 

They  were  now  entirely  ruined,  for  the  large  ball 
with  which  the  second  barrel  of  the  garrucha  was 
charged  had  entered  the  package  and  passed  through 


48  HORACIO 

the  various  folds  of  cloth  and  pasteboard  and  reached 
his  skin  only  to  bruise  and  not  to  break  it.  Beneath 
the  package  was  a  flattened  bullet  and  a  great  black 
and  blue  mark. 

The  girl  watched  him  as  he  worked,  and  when  he  drew 
the  package  out  and  exclaimed  at  his  discovery  she 
said,  "Give  me  the  bullet,  please!"  and,  closing  her 
fingers  over  it,  shut  her  eyes  and  rested  while  he  re- 
moved the  evidence  of  their  halt  and  prepared  to  re- 
sume the  journey. 

It  was  now  broad  day,  and  as  Anna  assured  him 
that  she  was  able  to  go  on,  they  mounted  and  followed 
the  narrow  trail  through  the  forest  at  a  steady  pace 
until  about  ten  o'clock,  when  they  came  to  the  balsa  at 
the  Tiete.  The  large  canoe  was  at  the  other  side,  but 
the  man  came  at  their  hail  and  took  them  across,  while 
the  horse  swam  beside  them. 

Annibal,  the  ferryman,  greeted  the  lad  cordially  as  an 
old  friend,  but  looked  at  him  curiously  and  at  his  young 
companion.  Horacio  wondered  that  he  asked  no  ques- 
tions, for  he  knew  his  countrymen  well,  and  knew  that 
no  bashfulness  would  prevent  them  from  satisfying  their 
never-failing  curiosity.  This  man  must  have  some 
reason  for  his  silence. 

While  he  cogitated  on  this  idea  they  at  length  reached 
the  farther  side  of  the  river.  The  horse  scrambled  up 
the  steep  bank,  doubling  his  knees  as  he  reached  the 
top  and  shaking  himself  like  a  dog  until  the  water  flew 
from  him  in  showers.  The  boy  patted  him  lovingly  on 
the  neck  and  quickly  resaddled,  while  the  animal  nosed 


ANNA  49 

his  pocket,  where  there  was  a  bit  of  bread  which  he  had 
bought  in  the  town. 

Reminded  thus  of  his  physical  necessities,  he  broke 
the  small  loaf  in  two,  and,  giving  the  larger  half  to 
Anna,  crumbled  off  a  bit  of  his  own  share  for  the  horse 
and  mounted,  saying  carelessly  as  he  did  so,  "Did 
Padre  Joao  ask  after  me  as  he  passed  ? ' ' 

The  man  started  guiltily  and  cast  a  sly  glance  at  him, 
then  he  replied,  "How?  What  Padre  Joao?" 

"Padre  Joao  of  Jahu,  of  course,"  replied  the  boy 
quickly,  "when  he  passed  this  morning  with  the  Juiz  de 
Dereito  and  the  other  two,"  for  his  quick  eye  had 
noticed  the  fresh  tracks  of  four  horses  on  the  bank. 

' '  Oh,  ay,  he  asked  after  thee,  and  when  he  found  that 
thou  hadst  not  passed  he  bade  me  not  to  mention  seeing 
him;  but,  as  thou  knowest  already  of  his  passing,  there 
is  no  harm  in  telling  thee,  I  take  it. ' ' 

"No,  none  at  all.  Adeus!  Good  luck  to  thee!"  He 
settled  himself  in  his  saddle  and  gave  a  hand  to  his 
companion  to  assist  her  to  her  place  behind  him:  then 
spoke  back  over  his  shoulder,  "But  see  here,  my  friend, 
if  I  find  that  thou  hast  said  nothing  of  the  girl  that  is 
with  me  to  the  priest  on  his  return,  I  shall  bring  thee  a 
fat  buck  ere  this  day  week  be  come." 

"The  buck  is  mine  already!    I  can  see  him  hanginsr 
from  the  branch  there  by  the  cabin,"  replied  the  m<r: 
laughing  and  winking  shrewdly  at  the  lad,  who  smile.; 
back  at  him  and  rode  off. 

The  rest  of  the  ride  was  made  with  an  ear  always 
open  for  the  sound  of  horsemen  approaching  from  in 


50  HORACIO 

front,  but  at  four  o'clock  or  thereabouts  their  journey 
was  well  nigh  over.  Turning  aside  into  a  byway,  Horacio 
sought  out  one  of  his  ancient  haunts  and  bade  the  girl 
dismount  and  conceal  herself,  while  he  rode  on  in  advance 
to  spy  out  the  land. 

"Do  thou  remain  here,  if  need  be,  until  the  morning, 
at  whatever  cost.  Leave  not  thy  post  until  midday.  If 
I  be  not  dead  or  captive  I  will  be  here  long  ere  that. 
Art  thou  afraid?" 

"No,"  said  the  girl,  "I  have  no  fear." 
Pressing  her  hand  in   farewell,  he  rode  boldly  on, 
slipping  fourteen  cartridges  into  the  chamber  of  his  rifle 
as  he  rode. 


Ill 

FATHER  JOAO. 

UNDER  a  shed  in  the  curral,  or  dooryard,  in  front  of 
the  house  four  horses  were  tethered  when  Horacio  rode 
up  to  the  fence  and,  without  opening  the  big  gate, 
looked  over  at  the  horses  as  though  to  get  some  idea  of 
the  character  of  their  owners  from  the  appearance  of 
the  beasts  which  belonged  to  them. 

Two  of  the  animals  by  their  furnishings  evidently  be- 
longed to  the  mounted  police,  or  gendarmerie ;  the  others 
might  have  belonged  to  anybody. 

Horacio  whistled  to  himself  as  he  thought  of  en- 
countering the  powers,  military,  civil  and  ecclesiastical; 
but  the  boy  was  somehow  of  a  sudden  grown  a  man,  and 
he  did  not  hesitate. 

At  the  sound  of  his  approach  the  doorway  had  filled 
with  people,  who,  upon  seeing  that  it  was  the  boy  on 
horseback  and  alone,  quickly  crowded  out  into  the  cur- 
ral. 

The  boy  quietly  waited  for  the  outburst  which  he 
knew  would  come. 

Horacio  ran  his  eyes  over  the  group.  Father  Joao 
and  the  Juiz  de  Dereito,  two  gendarmes,  his  father, 
mother,  and  the  four  younger  children,  made  up  the 
list. 

51 


52  HORACIO 

"Ah,  malvado,"  cried  the  priest,  his  empurpled  face 
blazing  with  wrath,  "what  hast  thou  done  with  the 
girl?  Where  is  Anninha?" 

"Where  your  Reverence  will  not  be  likely  to  find 
her,"  replied  the  boy  coldly. 

"Wouldst  thou  reply  thus  to  his  Reverence,  unwor- 
thy boy?"  his  father  cried  in  dismay.  "Where  is  the 
girl,  and  what  means  this  mischief  ?  Dismount  and  give 
an  account  of  thyself ! ' ' 

"Under  thy  favor,  my  father,  I  will  not  dismount 
until  I  am  ready.  What  would  these  gentlemen  have 
with  me?" 

At  this  the  Juiz  de  Dereito  spoke  ingratiatingly. 
4  *  Horacio,  my  young  friend,  tell  us  what  you  have  done 
with  Anna.  His  Reverence,  as  you  know,  is  her  lawful 
guardian." 

"Let  him  dispute  his  possession  with  the  buzzards, 
then,  your  Worship!  I  left  her  down  the  road  with 
a  bullet  through  her  for  which  his  Reverence's  jailer  is 
responsible." 

"Where  was  it  that  you  left  her?"  asked  the  mag- 
istrate, somewhat  incredulously. 

"She  slipped  from  behind  me  to  the  ground  a  good 
bit  the  other  side  of  Jahu.  See  her  blood  upon  my 
coat!  I  knew  not  that  she  was  wounded  until  she  fell 
from  the  horse." 

"Why  didst  thou  meddle  in  this  matter,  young  ne'er- 
do-well?  What  was  it  to  thee  whether  the  child  stayed 
with  his  Reverence  or  not?"  demanded  his  father 
severely. 


FATHER  JOAO  53 

"Naught  to  me,  sir,  but  much  to  her.  She  would  not 
go  with  him  of  her  own  free  will,  and  begged  my  help 
to  set  her  free.  I  know  not  why,  but  the  cat  well  knows 
whose  whiskers  he  licks,"  and  he  shrugged  his  shoulders 
with  an  air  of  affected  indifference. 

"  'Tis  all  a  lie,  Sor  Jose  Antonio,"  blustered  Padre 
Joao.  ' '  I  misdoubt  me  much  that  the  lad  has  concealed 
the  girl  nigh  at  hand  and  will  make  off  with  her  and 
the  money  when  I  am  gone." 

"Ah,  what  of  the  money,  boy?"  exclaimed  his  father 
hastily  and  with  suddenly  augmented  interest. 

"Here  is  thy  money!  Count  it!"  cried  the  lad  in 
reply,  and  with  curling  lip  snatched  a  roll  of  dirty  bills 
tied  about  with  twine  from  his  pockets  and  tossed  it 
over  the  palisade.  His  father's  face  cleared  at  sight  of 
it  and  he  spread  it  out  on  a  post  to  count  it,  entirely 
oblivious  of  the  rest  of  the  priest's  complaint. 

Meanwhile  the  priest  and  the  magistrate  conferred 
together,  the  former  gesticulating  and  urging  some  ac- 
tion, and  the  latter  shaking  his  head  dubiously. 

Finally,  however,  the  Juiz  de  Dereito  seemed  to  be 
won  over  and,  assuming  an  air  of  severity  and  a  voice 
of  authority,  cried  out, 

"I  charge  this  lad,  Horacio  de  Castro,  with  break- 
ing into  the  house  of  the  citizen,  Father  Joao,  by 
force  and  by  violence!  Men,  do  your  duty  and  arrest 
him!"  and  he  waved  his  hand  to  the  two  policemen. 

Horacio  was  expecting  something  of  this  sort,  how- 
ever, and  drew  his  rifle  carelessly  into  view,  calling 
out  in  a  firm  voice  as  the  two  gendarmes  advanced, 


54  EOBACIO 

"I  have  fourteen  balls  in  this  rifle,  and  I  shall  not 
miss  both  of  you !  Senhor  Juiz,  we  are  not  in  the  Munic- 
ipality of  Jahu  but  in  that  of  Lengoes,  and  I  should 
advise  you  to  look  after  the  interest  of  your  own  district ; 
for  who  lies  down  with  dogs  will  get  up  with  fleas. 
There  is  business  enough  in  Jahu!  Ask  Father  Joao 
where  are  my  late  uncle's  savings!  He  saw  him  die!" 

The  face  of  the  priest  became  purple  again  with 
rage  at  the  boy's  insinuation,  which  was  the  fruit  of 
a  sudden  inspiration.  He  started  to  speak,  but  was  so 
choked  with  wrath  that  the  words  would  not  come  to 
his  thick,  sensual  lips,  and  he  merely  foamed  at  the 
mouth,  muttering  and  mumbling. 

Horacio's  father  looked  at  him  inquiringly  and  the 
boy  exclaimed,  with  a  certain  gleam  of  satisfaction  in 
his  eye  as  he  saw  the  effect  of  his  last  words, 

11  Arrest  me  at  your  peril!    I  shall  protect  myself!" 

The  men,  who  had  been  edging  forward  to  make 
the  arrest,  paused  as  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  rose  inch 
by  inch  as  they  came  toward  him,  and  the  lad  finished 
what  he  had  to  say  without  seeming  to  see  them. 

"Let  the  good  father  settle  his  grievances  with  me 
when  next  I  cross  the  river,  and  meanwhile  it  may  be 
wise  for  you  all  to  mount  and  be  off,  lest  night  find 
you  far  from  home.  Our  house  is  over  small  for  such 
grand  personages  to  tarry  with  us.  There  is  not  suit- 
able accommodation  for  you ! ' ' 

"Horacio!  Horacio!"  exclaimed  his  father,  aghast  at 
this  defiance  and  amazed  at  the  change  which  had  come 
over  his  son.  "These  gentlemen  are  welcome  here.  The 


FATHER  JOAO  55 

house  and  all  in  it  are  at  their  disposal."    The  laws  of 
hospitality  are  sacred  with  the  Brazilian. 

"Even  so,  father,  but  the  climate  is  sadly  unwhole- 
some in  these  parts  for  the  people  of  Jahu,  and  I  should 
advise  them  to  be  going  ere  nightfall.  A  dangerous 
miasma  hangs  about  the  place." 

Evidently  the  magistrate  thought  their  case  weak,  and 
was  not  inclined  to  meddle  further  in  a  matter  which 
brought  him  so  much  toil  and  such  precarious  credit, 
and  Padre  Joao  himself  saw  that  nothing  was  to  be 
gained  by  further  delay  or  argument.  His  cause  was 
a  lost  one. 

Turning  his  back  on  the  lad,  with  a  dark  and  threat- 
ening look,  he  strode  straightway  to  his  horse  and  flung 
himself  upon  it  without  another  word.  Gathering  up 
the  reins,  he  smote  the  beast  with  his  chicote  and  set  his 
spurs  wickedly  in  its  flanks.  With  a  snort  of  pain  the 
animal  plunged  forward  sharply  and  brought  up  short 
against  the  rawhide  rope  with  which  it  was  still  tethered, 
nearly  unseating  the  clerical  gentleman. 

A  roar  of  laughter  went  up  in  which  every  one  joined, 
to  the  greatly  increased  annoyance  of  the  discomfited 
priest.  One  of  the  soldiers  ran  at  once  to  help  him  and 
loosed  the  trembling  horse,  while  his  comrade  threw  open 
the  gate,  and  in  another  moment  the  little  cavalcade  was 
galloping  down  the  road  with  scantly  courteous  fare- 
wells. 

Horacio  watched  them  out  of  sight  and  then  threw 
himself  from  his  jaded  horse  and  entered  the  house. 
In  an  instant  the  children  were  about  him,  and  his 


56  HORACIO 

whole  manner  changed  as  he  embraced  first  one  and 
then  another. 

"Ah,  caboclinho ! ' '  he  cried,  "hast  not  forgotten  thy 
brother?  Such  a  long  time  thou  hast  been  absent,  my 
Jose !  And  Maneco,  too,  little  animal  that  thou  art ! ' ' 

The  two  girls,  Eugenia  and  Luiza,  less  demonstrative, 
stood  shyly  by  and  told  him  news  of  their  neighbors. 

"Oh,  Horacio!  the  lovely  baile  that  is  to  be  at 
Augustinho's  on  the  twentieth,  at  the  wedding,  and  we 
could  not  stay,  for  father  brought  us  away.  Wilt  thou 
not  take  us?'' 

"Take  ye?  To  be  sure  I'll  take  ye!  But  now  run 
along,  for  I  am  tired  and  hungry,"  and  he  held  out 
his  hand  for  the  cup  of  black  coffee  which  his  mother 
brought  him  on  a  tray.  Horacio  drank  the  coffee  at  a 
gulp  and,  placing  the  cup  again  on  the  tray,  turned  to 
his  father. 

"I  must  go  and  fetch  the  girl,"  he  said.  "Poor 
thing,  she  has  a  bullet  in  her!" 

"What!  She  did  not  die,  and  thou  hast  brought  her 
here?  This  is  bad  business,  I  fear." 

"She  will  help  in  the  house  and  can  earn  her  keep. 
She  is  a  plucky  one  and  deserves  the  right  to  choose 
her  abiding-place.  What  dost  thou  say,  sir,  is  there  a 
home  for  her  here  or  not?" 

The  father  looked  at  his  son  with  an  expression  of 
dim  wonder  on  his  face.  What  was  come  over  the  boy? 
The  careless  lad  had  been  transformed  by  the  events  of 
a  few  days.  For  a  moment  he  hesitated,  and  then  mur- 
mured musingly  and  doubtfully,  "Hum!  I  like  not  the 


FATHER  JOAO  57 

thought  of  the  padre — to  whom  else  than  to  us? — yet  she 
is  no  kin!  Who  spits  against  the  wind  is  apt  to  get  it 
back  in  the  face.  Well,  well ! ' '  then,  aloud,  ' '  Sinha ! ' ' 

At  the  sound  of  his  call  the  woman  appeared  in  the 
doorway,  wiping  her  hands  on  her  skirt. 

"Hast  thou  a  corner  for  the  child  that  was  with 
Henrique?  What  is  her  name?"  he  asked,  turning  to 
Horacio. 

"Anna!"  said  he  briefly. 

' '  Canst  thou  take  her  in  ? "  his  father  repeated. 

The  woman  shrugged  her  shoulders.  Finally  she  be- 
gan drawing  the  edge  of  her  skirt  slowly  back  and  forth 
between  her  fingers  as  though  she  were  gradually  com- 
ing to  a  decision. 

' '  There  is  always  plenty  to  do, ' '  she  said,  ' '  and  plenty 
to  eat.  I  should  be  glad  to  have  her  here." 

"Then  bring  her  along!"  the  father  said,  and  went 
back  to  his  work. 

Horacio  called  out  to  Jose,  "Oh,  Zezinho!  unsaddle 
Bonito  and  give  him  milho." 

The  little  fellow  ran  a  race  with  his  brother  to  obey 
the  order,  and  their  elder  brother  went  off  down  the 
road  in  search  of  Anna,  whom  he  finally  found  fast 
asleep,  regardless  of  gnats  and  flies  which  had  gathered 
about  the  blood-stains  on  her  clothing. 

Touching  the  girl  on  her  shoulder,  she  awoke  with 
a  start  and  a  slight  scream,  but  her  face  broke  into  a 
rare  and  radiant  smile  at  sight  of  him. 

"Oh,  it  is  thou!  I  thought  they  had  come  to  take 
me!"  she  exclaimed. 


58  HORACIO 

"Have  no  fear!  They  are  gone  and  will  not  re- 
turn. Their  hen  cackled  but  did  not  lay  an  egg.  Come !" 
and  he  stooped  and  took  up  the  little  bundle  she  had 
brought  with  her,  which  was  now  lying  beside  her  on 
the  ground. 

Anna  scrambled  lamely  to  her  feet  and,  seeing  that 
she  was  stiff  and  sore,  the  boy  awkwardly  aided  her, 
touching  her  wounded  arm  inadvertently  as  he  did  so. 
The  girl  started,  gave  a  quick  exclamation  and  turned 
pale,  leaning  against  his  shoulder  as  she  became  faint. 
Horacio  caught  her  and  for  a  moment  her  pallid  cheek 
lay  close  to  the  flush  that  mounted  upon  his  swarthy 
neck.  He  did  not  know  why  his  heart  throbbed — it  had 
not  done  so  the  night  before  when  he  was  busied  with 
plans  for  their  escape — but  it  did  not  pain  him  to 
feel  it. 

Recovering  herself  in  an  instant,  the  two  set  off  to- 
gether toward  the  house,  Anna  leaning  upon  her  cham- 
pion's arm  for  a  portion  of  the  way,  and  then  walking 
by  herself  as  they  neared  the  house  and  she  gained 
strength. 

The  children  stood  shyly  about  in  wonder  at  sight 
of  their  brother's  companion,  who  was  entirely  un- 
known to  them,  but  the  woman  of  many  cares  welcomed 
her  cordially  to  her  new  home.  Kissing  her  on  each 
cheek  and  letting  her  rest  her  head  on  her  motherly 
shoulder  for  a  little  moment  while  she  winked  away  a 
few  tears  of  weariness  and  loneliness,  she  took  her  with 
her  to  the  rooms  in  the  rear  and  found  a  place  for  the 
strange  bird  in  the  nest. 


FATHER  JOAO  59 

Horacio  sat  down  at  the  table  and  dined,  but  Anna 
ate  in  the  kitchen,  as  is  the  custom  of  Brazilian  women 
in  the  country.  Both  of  them  were  half  famished  and 
did  ample  justice  to  the  hearty  and  wholesome  food. 

The  following  day  there  was  a  new  wonder  in  the 
house.  Father  and  son  were  busying  themselves  about 
the  chores  while  they  waited  for  breakfast. 

"We  shall  go  to  the  roga  to-day.  Thou  wouldst  best 
grind  thy  facao  and  an  axe,"  the  father  said  at  last. 

"I  will  go  to  the  roga  no  more,"  said  Horacio  firmly. 
"I  have  other  things  to  do.  I  am  resolved!" 

This  was  too  much  for  any  man's  patience.  That  a 
boy  of  sixteen  should  say  what  he  would  or  would  not 
do  in  his  father's  house!  The  elder  man  turned  to  him 
in  hot  anger. 

"The  foul  fiend  take  thy  'will'  and  'will  not'!  Thou 
wilt  do  as  thou  art  bidden!  So  set  to  work,  or  thou 
shalt  feel  the  chicote  as  did  the  priest's  horse."  Here 
father  and  son  forgot  their  difference  to  laugh  together 
at  the  recollection. 

"Canst  thou  not  have  Antonio  up  here  to  help  in 
my  place?  I  will  fetch  him  to-day,"  said  Horacio, 
finally. 

"What  Antonio?  What  foolishness?"  he  cried. 
"Thinkest  thou  that  I  have  money  to  burn  because  my 
brother  left  me  eight  hundred  paltry  milreis  ?  I  should 
like  well  to  know  where  is  that  which  he  has  hoarded 
all  these  years,  for  he  was  close-fisted  as  any  onga." 

"Thou  wilt  have  to  ask  Father  Joao  about  Tio  Hen- 
rique's savings,  but  I  shall  pay  the  wages  of  Antonio. 


60  HORACIO 

See!  here  are  fifty  milreis  to  begin  with,  from  the 
money  that  I  had  saved  for  my  gun.  That  will  be  a 
month's  wages  and  the  rest  will  come  later.  I  want 
my  liberty!" 

The  father  looked  again  at  his  son  wonderingly  and 
doubtfully,  but  he  took  the  money  which  the  "lad  held 
out  to  him. 

"What  madness  is  this?"  he  muttered.  "What  gun 
is  that  which  thou  hast  brought  with  thee?" 
"Tisarifle." 

"A  rifle!"  exclaimed  his  father  in  amazement,  "and 
what  wilt  thou  do  with  a  rifle?  Will  it  be  a  toy  for  the 
queixadas?  " 

"Leave  me  alone!  I  bought  it  cheap  and  shall  get 
my  money  back.  Shall  I  go  for  Antonio?" 

"Ay,  go  if  it  suits  thee.  So  long  as  thou  payest  a 
substitute  thou  mayest  have  thy  liberty." 

By  noon  a  sturdy  caboclo  was  on  the  ro<;a  in  Horacio  's 
place,  and  the  boy  was  busy  about  some  scheme  of  his 
own. 

Taking  a  large  knife,  he  went  to  the  edge  of  the 
wood  and  cut  two  strong,  forked  saplings:  these  he 
buried  deeply  in  the  ground  near  to  one  another  and 
then  bound  his  rifle  in  the  forks  with  wet  thongs. 
•  With  the  help  of  his  brothers  he  then  arranged  a 
target  of  boards  at  a  distance  of  some  fifty  meters,  and 
stationed  the  elder  lad,  with  a  bit  of  charcoal,  at  the 
target.  By  this  time  the  heat  of  the  sun  had  dried  the 
thongs,  and  the  weapon  rested  as  firmly  in  the  forks 
as  though  it  were  bolted  there. 


FATHER  JOAO  61 

Horacio  sighted  along  the  gun  and  guided  his  broth- 
er's hand  into  line,  directing  him  to  make  a  cross  at 
the  exact  intersection.  He  then  warned 'the  boys  that 
he  was  going  to  shoot  and  pulled  the  trigger.  The 
bullet  entered  the  intersection  of  the  black  lines.  Good! 
The  weapon  was  perfect  and  the  sights  adjusted 
laterally. 

He  now  arranged  a  new  target  at  the  first  distance 
indicated  on  the  sliding  sight  and  shot  a  second  time, 
after  adjusting  the  sight.  Perfect  again! 

Thus  he  proved  his  weapon  with  five  shots,  and 
then,  cutting  the  thongs  and  releasing  it,  repeated  the 
five  shots  with  only  his  strong  young  arms  and  steady 
nerves  to  aid  him.  He  was  amply  satisfied  with  his 
success,  although  ten  shots  were  thrown  away  without 
apparent  profit. 

Aiming  at  a  chicken  in  the  far  corner  of  the  curral, 
he  cut  its  head  off  as  neatly  with  a  ball  as  he  could 
have  done  with  a  knife. 

Knowing  his  weapon  now — which  was  to  be  his  new 
friend  and  companion — it  only  remained  for  him  to 
learn  a  second  and  a  harder  lesson,  for  the  first  was 
really  learned  by  years  of  practice  with  the  old  muzzle- 
loader  which  the  queixadas  had  destroyed.  He  must 
learn  to  stop  a  running  buck  with  a  ball. 

Leaving  the  chicken  at  the  house,  he  set  off  for  the 
matto  and  did  not  return  until  night.  He  had  wasted 
three  shots  on  a  running  mark. 

The  next  day  he  wasted  three  more  and  brought 
down  a  jacu  at  the  fourth,  as  he  was  running  swiftly 


62  HORACIO 

along  a  limb.  He  now  saw  that  it  was  a  knack,  and 
practised  on  two  or  three  running  chickens  in  the  cur- 
ral.  The  next  day  he  shot  a  buck  on  the  run  and,  throw- 
ing it  across  his  horse,  set  out  for  the  river. 

"Is  the  buck  thine,  friend  Annibal?"  he  asked  of 
the  boatman,  "or  didst  thou  tell  his  Reverence  of  the 
girl?" 

' '  The  buck  is  mine !  A  bargain  is  a  bargain ! ' '  cried 
Annibal,  forgetting  that  he  had  first  agreed  with  the 
priest  to  let  him  know  if  the  girl  was  with  Horacio ;  "  I 
told  his  Reverence  that  thou  wert  alone.  Women  are 
of  no  account  anyway:  we  do  not  reckon  them,"  and 
he  grinned  slyly  as  he  ran  his  hand  over  the  fat  haunches 
of  the  deer. 

"When  thou  hast  need  of  my  canoe  to  pass  the  river, 
or  the  small  one  to  lie  in  wait  for  the  deer,  they  are 
at  thy  service,  only  do  not  ask  me  often  to  lie  to  his 
Reverence :  mayhap  it  is  a  mortal  sin  to  deceive  a  priest : 
who  knows?  Well,  until  another  day!" 

"Until  another  day!"  was  the  response,  and  the  lad 
turned  back  along  the  river  to  the  house  of  a  hunter. 
Here  there  was  a  litter  of  pups  from  which  he  had  been 
offered  a  choice. 

"They  are  masters,"  the  old  man  said,  as  he  tied 
the  pair  together  and  took  the  thirty  milreis  which 
was  the  price  of  them.  "They  are  true  as  steel  and 
of  the  best  blood  in  the  country.  They  know  what 
they  know  without  learning,  for  it  is  in  the  blood." 

The  boy  stroked  the  necks  of  the  beautiful  creatures 
and  they  fawned  upon  him  with  immediate  puppy  faith. 


FATHER  JOAO  63 

He  knew  that  they  would  need  much  training,  but 
good  blood  is  more  than  half  the  battle — in  pups  or 
men. 

When  he  reached  his  home  a  deer  lay  across  the  horse 
before  him.  He  had  shot  it  from  the  saddle  as  it 
bounded  across  the  road.  He  had  found  the  knack! 

At  the  end  of  the  month  he  must  go  to  Jahu  to  dis- 
pose of  the  skins  which  his  rifle  and  his  traps  had 
brought  him.  He  entered  the  town  with  the  hides 
strapped  in  two  bales  on  a  pack-horse  which  he  drove 
before  him,  but  he  entered  at  midnight  and  drove  a 
bargain  in  the  saddle  with  a  merchant  whose  eyes  were 
heavy  with  sleep  as  he  leaned  from  the  window  into 
the  night. 

The  hides  sold  cheaply,  for  all  the  town  knew  of  the 
lad's  escapade,  and  the  payment  was  cash  on  the  nail, 
with  a  supply  of  ammunition  to  be  sent  to  him  on  the 
morrow.  Quality  was  guaranteed,  and  the  man  knew 
from  former  dealings  that  the  young  hunter's  word 
was  good. 

Horacio  rode  away  into  the  night  well  satisfied  with 
his  month's  work,  while  Francisco  da  Gama  dos  Santos 
rolled  into  bed  equally  satisfied  with  his  midnight  bar- 
gain. 

During  the  months  that  followed  Horacio  was  less 
and  less  to  be  found  at  home.  Longer  and  longer  were 
his  absences  and  deeper  and  deeper  he  penetrated  into 
the  sertao  in  search  of  game. 

He  had  bought  himself  a  compass,  as  has  already 
been  said,  and  now  he  learned  to  use  it.  His  knowledge 


64  HOBACIO 

of  forest  craft  grew  as  he  grew,  while  his  dexterity  with 
his  famous  weapon  increased  with  every  shot.  His  rep- 
utation at  last  began  to  be  noised  abroad  and  some 
little  notoriety  came  to  be  attached  to  his  name.  At  the 
dances  which  were  given  from  time  to  time  on  the 
neighboring  fazendas  no  one  was  a  more  popular  part- 
ner than  he  or  a  more  graceful  dancer. 

As  for  Anna,  the  arm  healed  in  a  short  time  and  the 
girl  proved  to  be  a  treasure  in  the  house.  Her  pres- 
ence there,  of  course,  was  soon  rumored  about,  and 
came  to  the  ears  of  Father  Joao  in  Jahu,  along  with 
tales  of  Horacio's  powess  and  daring.  Daring  he  was, 
and  yet  it  was  not  safe  for  him  to  go  openly  to  the 
town.  This  did  not  stay  him  from  crossing  the  river, 
however,  and  making  such  excursions  into  the  territory 
of  the  enemy  as  he  desired;  but  to  appear  openly,  and 
with  previous  announcement  of  his  purpose,  was  more 
than  he  thought  it  politic  to  do.  He  must  bide  his 
time. 

"Horacio!  There  is  a  dance  at  Augustinho's  to-night. 
'Tis  Emiliazinha  who  marries  this  time.  Wilt  thou 
take  us?"  pleaded  Eugenia,  one  afternoon,  when  the 
lad  found  himself  at  home  after  a  longer  absence  than 
usual. 

He  looked  inquiringly  at  Anna,  who  was  laying  the 
cloth  for  the  jantar.  A  flash  of  interest  from  her 
great  black  eyes  lit  up  her  whole  face  and  sufficiently 
answered  his  unspoken  question. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "I'll  take  you  both,  and  Anninha, 
too." 


FATHER  JOAO  65 

"Oh,  what  pleasure!"  cried  his  sisters,  clapping  their 
hands  and  running  to  pull  their  few  bits  of  finery  out 
of  odd  corners  where  they  had  bestowed  them. 

"Be  quick  about  the  jantar  then,  Anna,  please,"  he 
added.  "We  must  be  off  at  once." 

"Art  thou  not  too  weary?"  she  asked  hesitatingly, 
as  she  remembered  that  he  was  but  that  moment  returned 
from  a  long  trip.  He  shook  his  head  and  laughed, 
showing  two  rows  of  strong  white  teeth. 

"Not  I!  Didst  thou  ever  know  me  to  be  tired,  with 
the  prospect  of  a  baile  before  us?"  Then  he  went  out 
and  made  ready  the  horses  and  saddles. 

When  he  returned  the  meal  was  on  the  table,  and 
they  all  ate  hastily  and  rode  off.  Horacio  would  gladly 
have  taken  Anna  with  him  on  Bonito's  sturdy  back, 
but  there  were  horses  enough  for  all  of  them.  Anna 
rode  on  her  own  saddle,  which  he  had  given  her  a 
short  time  before,  and  his  sisters  rode,  one  on  a  man's 
saddle  and  the  other  on  his  mother's.  The  four  leagues 
were  covered  in  two  hours  and  a  half,  and  at  seven  they 
drew  rein  at  Augustinho 's. 

The  house  was  of  the  better  sort,  and  in  lieu  of  pole 
walls  and  a  mud  floor,  with  a  roof  of  thatch,  like  the 
home  of  this  party  of  guests,  boasted  the  only  board 
floor  in  the  neighborhood,  while  the  walls  were  of  mud 
and  the  roof  of  tiles.  In  one  corner  there  stood  a  little 
altar  which  the  women  had  made  ready  with  bits  of 
ribbon,  lace  and  tinsel,  and  candles  burning  at  the 
corners.  The  bride  was  already  dressed  and  the  bride- 
groom waiting,  but  Father  Joao  had  not  yet  appeared, 


66  HORACIO 

for  he  was  to  come  from  Jahu  and  perform  the  cere- 
mony. 

As  Horacio  dismounted  and  lifted  the  girls  from  their 
saddles,  the  priest  rode  up  and  flung  himself  from  his 
horse  without  taking  any  notice  of  the  group  of  young 
people.  The  young  man  was  not  particularly  anxious  to 
see  Father  Joao  and  therefore  stepped  a  little  out  of 
sight  behind  the  horses,  pulling  Anna  back  of  his  sisters ; 
but  he  might  have  spared  himself  the  trouble,  for  the 
priest  had  evidently  already  seen  them  and  now  came 
forward  with  outstretched  hand  and  genial  smile. 

"An  embrace,  my  young  friend!"  he  said  heartily. 
"Didst  thou  think  there  was  ill  blood  yet  because  of 
thy  little  escapade?  So  the  girl  is  in  good  hands,  I 
care  not!  And  how  goes  Anninha?  I  believe  thou  art 
filling  out  a  bit,  girl.  Better  be  careful  or  thou  wilt 
be  a  plump  one  after  all!"  Then  he  added  slyly,  "I 
feared  me  much  'twas  mischief  thou  wert  up  to,  lad: 
hence  my  anxiety,"  and  he  winked  intelligently  at 
Horacio,  "but  all's  well  that  ends  well!  Let  us  go  in! 
They  can't  have  either  the  dance  or  the  marrying  with- 
out Father  Joao." 

Horacio  yielded  himself  with  some  hesitation  to  the 
embrace  of  the  burly  padre,  but  Anna  drew  away  and 
would  not  give  him  her  hand.  Eugenia  and  Luiza 
shook  hands  cordially  enough,  and  they  all  entered  the 
house  together,  with  those  who  had  come  out  to  wel- 
come them. 

Greetings  from  all  about  them  turned  into  shouts  of 
laughter  as  the  popular  priest  flung  a  mischievous  word 


FATHER  JOAO  (57 

and  a  glance  here  and  there,  for  he  was  the  life  of  every 
lively  gathering  which  might  be  fortunate  enough  to 
secure  his  presence.  The  late  arrivals  made  the  circuit 
of  the  room,  and  by  this  time  coffee  came  for  them 
from  the  kitchen,  and  those  who  were  entertaining  be- 
gan to  hustle  about  in  the  final  preparations  for  the 
wedding. 

The  bride,  a  bright-looking  young  girl  of  a  light 
coffee-and-milk  color,  arrayed  in  her  modest  finery, 
took  her  place  by  the  side  of  a  much-embarrassed  young 
caboclo  before  the  altar,  and  they  were  shortly  made 
one,  with  the  blessing  of  the  church  and  the  payment 
of  a  substantial  fee  which  the  good  padre  tucked  away 
with  an  easy  unconcern  for  the  fact  that,  no  civil  cere- 
mony having  been  performed,  owing  to  the  ignorance 
of  the  contracting  parties,  they  would  be  living  together 
in  unlawful  concubinage. 

Evidently  the  ceremony  was  deemed  the  least  im- 
portant event  of  the  evening  by  all  excepting  the  happy 
couple  themselves,  and  scarcely  was  it  over  before  the 
steel  strings  of  the  viola  began  to  resound  beneath  the 
nails  and  knuckles  of  a  skilful  performer,  while  an 
ancient  black  woman  beat  the  time  upon  a  drum  made 
from  a  hollowed  log  and  covered  with  a  tightly  stretched 
membrane. 

No  sooner  were  the  strident  notes  of  the  Brazilian 
guitar  heard  above  the  laughter  and  congratulations 
than  the  dancers  began  to  move  about  the  floor.  All 
ages  and  colors  mingled  freely  in  the  waltz  and  the 
wall-flowers  were  few.  Horacio  slipped  his  arm  about 


t>8  HORACIO 

Anna's  slender  waist,  while  Father  Joao  grasped  the 
blushing  bride  and  drew  her  into  the  shifting  throng. 

The  night  was  warm  and  the  pinga  stood  handily  by 
upon  the  table,  while  for  the  ladies  there  was  wine, 
although  some  of  them  disdained  not  the  fiery  product 
of  the  cane.  With  the  constant  draining  of  the  oft- 
filled  tumblers  the  joy  and  hilarity  increased,  but  by- 
and-by  the  music  stopped  suddenly  and  the  floor  was 
cleared  for  a  country  dance  in  which  one  couple  alone 
were  the  performers.  This  was  followed  by  a  duet  of 
singers  in  a  comic  song  telling  of  the  vicissitudes  of  an 
African  lover  and  his  lady.  A  thunderous  applause  re- 
warded the  efforts  of  the  singers,  and  thus  the  fun 
went  on. 

Horacio  danced  again  with  Anna,  and  then  Father 
Joao  led  the  girl  out,  while  Horacio  stood  by  and  in- 
wardly cursed  the  priest.  Anna  shrank  away  from 
her  partner  as  well  as  she  could,  and  finally  broke  from 
him  and  slipped  through  the  door,  with  the  laughing 
priest  at  her  heels,  but  Horacio  let  her  pass  and  blocked 
the  way  for  her  pursuer.  Instead  of  showing  anger, 
Father  Joao  burst  into  a  perfect  roar  of  merriment. 

"Ah,  the  baggage!  She  thinks  only  of  slips  of  lads 
like  thyself.  Let  her  go!  "When  art  thou  coming  over 
to  one  of  our  dances  in  Jahu?  There  is  to  be  a  grand 
wedding  this  day  week  at  the  house  of  the  fazendeiro, 
Silva." 

"  'Tis  far "  stammered  Horacio. 

"Far!  Not  too  far  for  a  bold  rider  like  thyself. 
Dost  fear  to  beard  the  lion,  eh!" 


FATHER  JOAO  69 

"Fear?  No!"  The  eyes  of  all  in  the  room  were  upon 
him  now,  and  the  music  had  ceased  for  an  instant.  ''I 
shall  not  be  in  the  village  at  the  time:  that  is  why," 
he  said  at  last. 

"Are  thine  engagements  so  pressing,  indeed?  I  for- 
got that  thou  wert  become  a  man  of  business,"  and 
the  malicious  padre  grinned  ironically  at  the  bystand- 
ers. 

Horacio 's  blood  boiled  and  he  felt  that  his  excuse 
was  not  considered  valid.  After  all,  why  should  he 
not  go?  A  soft  voice  murmured  from  without,  as  he 
stood  in  the  doorway,  "Do  not  go!"  The  priest  heard 
it  as  well  as  several  others  who  were  standing  near. 
Horacio  saw  and  flushed  at  sight  of  their  amused  smiles. 

"I  will  go!    My  business  can  wait!"  he  cried. 

"Good!"  exclaimed  Father  Joao  heartily.  "I  can 
promise  thee  a  lively  time." 

Horacio  knew  that  there  was  hidden  meaning  in  his 
words,  but  he  would  not  give  ear  to  the  voice  of  pru- 
dence. He  turned  to  seek  the  owner  of  the  other  voice 
that  had  warned  him  not  to  go,  but  she  was  gone  and 
he  could  not  find  her.  Returning  to  the  house,  he  drank 
more  pinga  and  danced  with  the  bride. 

So  the  night  passed,  with  shouts  and  laughter  and 
drunken  merriment.  Anna  did  not  appear  again,  and 
the  young  man  danced  the  harder  and  drank  the  deeper. 
When  morning  dawned  the  drum  and  the  viola  were 
still:  the  women  had  sought  an  inner  room,  save  two 
or  three  who  lay  sleeping  on  the  floor.  As  for  the  rest 
of  the  dancers,  they  lay  with  the  musicians,  prostrate 


70  HORACIO 

upon  the  floor  where  they  had  fallen,  overcome  with 
sleep  and  pinga,  oblivious  to  all  for  the  present. 

At  ten  o'clock  Horacio  sat  up,  with  his  hands  to  his 
aching  head:  then  he  got  upon  his  feet  and  sought 
the  pinga  bottle.  Empty!  Going  to  the  barrel  he  filled 
a  glass  and  drank.  Ah,  that  was  better !  In  the  kitchen 
they  gave  him  coffee,  and  went  to  awaken  his  sisters 
and  Anna,  but  Anna  was  not  there. 

Going  to  the  curral,  he  found  her  horse  and  saddle 
gone.  Father  Joao  was  also  gone!  Giving  corn  to  the 
animals,  he  bade  his  sisters  make  ready  and  soon  they 
were  on  the  homeward  road.  Here  the  young  hunter 
presently  made  out  the  fresh  tracks  of  Anna's  horse, 
and  his  mind  grew  easier  on  finding  no  other  had  passed 
along  the  same  road. 

When  they  at  last  reached  the  house  Anna  was  lay- 
ing the  cloth  for  their  late  breakfast.  The  young  man 
nodded  to  her  but  said  nothing,  and,  having  breakfasted 
heartily,  took  himself  off  with  his  rifle  and  his  hounds 
to  the  woods,  and  that  was  the  last  they  saw  of  him. 

Great  preparations  were  being  made  for  the  wedding 
at  Jahu.  The  family  of  the  bride  was  one  of  great  con- 
sideration in  the  district  and  the  groom  was  not  less 
highly  appreciated.  The  ceremony  was  concluded  and 
the  dancing  had  begun  ere  Horacio  put  in  an  appear- 
ance. The  first  that  Father  Joao  saw  of  him  was  a 
flying  glimpse  as  he  circled  about  the  room  with  the 
prettiest  girl  in  the  town  clasped  in  his  arms. 

A  handsome  pair  they  made,  for  both  were  decked 
in  their  best,  and  Horacio 's  best  was  now  the  envy 


FATHER  JOAO  71 

of  all  the  young  men  of  the  place.  His  form  was  tall 
and  strong  and  his  dark  brown  hair  was  fine  and  soft 
and  curled  slightly  upon  a  forehead  which  belonged  to 
a  face  more  than  usually  intelligent.  A  good  firm 
mouth  ornamented  with  splendid  teeth,  nature's  best 
gift  to  man,  made  up  a  most  charming  countenance. 
An  ungoverned  will  and  a  faulty  education  threatened 
to  mar  an  otherwise  gifted  nature. 

The  dance  went  on  as  dances  go.  Instead  of  the 
tom-tom  and  viola  of  the  baile  at  Augustinho's,  a  half- 
dozen  stringed  instruments  furnished  the  music,  while 
French  brandy  stood  on  the  side-table,  as  well  as  pinga, 
for  the  guests. 

Horacio  was  one  of  the  lightest  headed,  lightest  heart- 
ed and  lightest  heeled.  Midnight  came  and  all  were 
reeking  with  perspiration  and  flushed  with  ardent 
spirits,  but  no  one  was  weary.  Horacio  stepped  to 
the  door  to  catch  a  breath  of  air.  A  group  of  men 
stood  without.  Suddenly  two  of  the  dancers  blocked 
his  way  back  into  the  ball-room,  while  those  without 
barred  his  exit.  Father  Joao  stood  behind  these  last, 
his  tall  form  towering  above  them,  and  he  leered  tri- 
umphantly at  the  young  man  from  over  their  shoulders. 
Horacio  caught  his  eye  and  the  priest  called  out  to  him 
with  a  malignant  grin, 

"When  we  have  finished  with  thee,  young  man,  we 
set  out  for  the  sitio  to  claim  our  ward!" 

The  blood  mounted  immediately  to  the  young 
man's  head  where  the  brandy  had  already  done  its  work. 
Without  a  moment's  thought  his  hand  went  to  his  sash 


72  HORACIO 

and  drew  forth  his  garrucha,  which  he  instantly  dis- 
charged full  at  the  priest's  breast,  and,  in  the  confusion 
which  followed,  leaped  over  his  body  and  escaped. 

The  dance  was  over  for  the  night.  Frightened  wom- 
en screamed  and  ran  hither  and  thither.  The  police 
that  had  come  with  the  priest  raised  his  fallen  body 
and  laid  it  upon  a  couch,  while  others  sought  the  assassin. 


IV. 

THE    MERCHANT. 

HOBACIO,  meanwhile,  had  disappeared  in  the  darkness 
and  a  moment  later  the  rapid  beat  of  a  horse's  hoofs 
was  heard  upon  the  road,  quickly  dying  away  into 
silence. 

Now  at  last  the  country  would  be  too  hot  to  hold  him ! 
Whither  should  he  go  ?  Sobered  by  his  deed  of  violence, 
he  pondered  on  the  course  open  to  him.  Two  roads  lay 
before  him:  the  sertao,  where  he  might  bury  himself 
and  seek  refuge  with  the  Indians,  or  the  haunts  of  men, 
where  he  might  lose  himself  in  the  wildernesses  of  civili- 
zation. 

All  his  nature  drew  him  toward  the  sertao,  but  it 
was  there  that  his  pursuers  would  first  seek  him;  so 
with  a  resolute  heart  he  turned  Bonito's  head  toward 
Sao  Paulo  and  the  unknown,  untried  ways  of  civili- 
zation. He  had  burned  his  bridges  behind  him;  there 
was  nothing  to  do  but  to  go  forward  as  best  he  could. 

As  morning  broke  he  entered  the  city  of  Brotas, 
weary  and  disturbed  in  his  mind  as  to  the  future.  As 
the  first  house  of  the  town  appeared  in  the  distance 
he  put  his  hand  to  his  pocket  and  found  but  a  bit  of 
loose  change.  Besides  this  he  had  but  a  silver-mounted 
knife  and  spurs  and  the  garrucha  in  his  belt.  At  any 

73 


74  HOBACIO 

rate  he  would  have  a  drink  of  pinga,  and  perhaps  that 
would  give  clearness  to  his  brain  and  decision  to  his 
mind. 

He  flung  his  reins  upon  the  ground  and  entered 
the  first  venda  which  he  saw,  calling  for  a  glass  of 
cachaga.  The  woman  who  kept  the  place  was  a  homely 
body,  and  so  he  asked  her  for  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a 
bit  of  bread,  and  sat  on  a  box  to  rest  himself  and  await 
their  preparation,  and  as  he  waited  he  made  rapid  note 
of  his  surroundings. 

Presently  two  soldiers  entered  and  ordered  drinks 
at  the  counter.  One  was  a  petty  officer  and  the  other 
a  private.  The  two  conversed  in  an  undertone  and 
glanced  stealthily  at  the  lad  once  or  twice. 

Horacio  was  not  caring  for  police  or  soldiers  just 
at  that  particular  time,  so  he  thought  he  would  better 
be  going,  and  therefore  turned  to  the  woman  to  pay 
his  reckoning  without  waiting  for  his  coffee.  As  he 
did  so  the  private  went  out,  but  returned  before  the 
woman  could  make  the  change. 

''How  would  you  like  to  enter  the  ranks,  young 
man?"  the  officer  asked  in  friendly  tones.  "We  are 
short  a  few  men,  and  there  is  a  pretty  chance  for  pro- 
motion now  that  these  canalha  of  Liberals  are  giving 
us  so  much  trouble  in  the  South." 

"Obliged,  but  I  don't  care  to  enlist,"  replied  Horacio 
shortly,  and,  gathering  up  the  nickel  coins  which  the 
woman  laid  upon  the  counter,  he  tried  to  slip  away 
toward  the  door. 

"Not  so  fast!    Not  so  fast,  young  fellow,"  the  officer 


THE  MERCHANT  75 

cried  out  sharply.  "Better  change  your  mind  about 
going  with  us.  No?" 

Horacio  shook  his  head  decidedly  and  made  a  move 
to  go  out.  As  he  reached  the  door,  however,  the  private 
blocked  the  way.  A  flush  of  anger  crimsoned  the  young 
man's  face  and  he  snatched  his  long  keen  knife  from 
his  belt.  The  soldier  gave  way  instantly  before  his 
threatening  blade,  but  a  squad  of  men  with  fixed  bay- 
onets stood  without  and  formed  a  semi-circle  about  the 
door. 

"Put  up  that  knife,  my  boy!  Wilt  thou  go  with 
good- will  or  shall  we  bind  thee?"  asked  the  officer 
blandly. 

Horacio  glanced  about  him  like  a  wild  beast  at  bay, 
but,  unlike  the  beast,  gave  in  to  the  odds  against  him 
and  pushed  his  knife  back  into  its  sheath. 

"Better  take  the  coffee  now  and  we  shall  be  going," 
said  the  officer,  smiling  grimly,  as  though  well  used 
to  this  sort  of  jest.  "And  if  that  is  thy  nag,"  he  added, 
looking  Bonito  over  with  a  knowing  eye,  "he  shall  go 
along  with  thee  and  we  shall  put  thee  in  the  cavalry." 

Fierce  anger  burned  in  Horacio 's  heart  at  this  sum- 
mary disposal  of  his  comrade  and  himself,  but  after 
all  what  did  it  matter?  Were  not  all  his  doubts  now 
resolved  and  he  himself  safe?  For  he  knew  that  the 
army  was  short  of  men  and  would  not  brook  any  in- 
terference by  the  police.  Better  accept  what  fortune 
had  brought  and  not  conjure  up  fresh  troubles! 

Putting  good  grace  therefore  on  a  bad  matter,  he 
went  cheerfully  enough  with  the  officer,  and  shortly 


76  HORACIO 

afterward  Horacio  de  Castro  was  enrolled  as  a  cavalry 
private  in  the  Battalion  of  Nossa  Senhora  do  Carmo 
for  the  war  in  Eio  Grande  do  Sul. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  Horacio  during  the 
campaign  in  the  South  nor  during  the  long  bit  of 
soldier  life  which  followed.  The  campaign  itself  was 
not  long,  but  it  was  hard  and  he  was  often  under  fire. 
In  the  drill  he  learned  discipline,  self-control  and 
obedience:  in  the  army  school  he  learned  reading,  writ- 
ing and  arithmetic,  and,  as  a  member  of  the  band  while 
the  troops  were  not  in  active  service,  he  learned  how 
to  read  music. 

Physically  he  grew  tall  and  strong  and  straight,  but 
he  did  not  grow  rich,  for  the  Government  but  ill  re- 
wards its  fighting-arm,  and  that  but  seldom. 

Thanks  to  the  counsels  of  a  veteran  who  took  a  friend- 
ly interest  in  him,  he  let  drink  well  alone  and  saw  many 
an  otherwise  good  soldier  ruined  for  not  doing  the 
same. 

The  day  of  his  discharge  came  at  last,  and  he  laid 
aside  a  sergeant's  chevrons  and  the  good-will  of  his 
comrades  in  order  that  he  might  seek  his  home  and 
the  great  black  eyes  which  he  had  not  seen  for  years, 
although  they  had  been  drawing  him,  drawing  him, 
all  the  time  toward  the  thin,  sallow  face  of  Anninha. 
Not  a  word  had  come  to  him  of  home  or  friends  dur- 
ing the  three  or  four  years  of  his  absence,  for  news 
does  not  travel  fast  among  the  illiterate. 

Bonito  had  been  drafted  with  his  master,  and  now, 
by  a  little  friendly  jugglery,  was  invalided  out  again. 


THE  MERCHANT  77 

and  bore  him  on  his  long  way  from  Sao  Paulo  Barracks 
to  the  sertao. 

How  his  heart  bounded  within  him  as  he  set  out 
upon  his  long  journey!  Now  at  last  he  was  a  man 
and  would  take  his  place  as  a  man  in  the  world.  In 
his  pocket  were  a  couple  of  hundred  milreis,  and  the 
Government  owed  him  four  hundred  more,  which  he 
was  never  to  see:  at  home  there  ought  to  be  his  little 
hidden  treasure,  which  only  Anna  knew  where  to  find. 
He  would  buy  a  piece  of  land  and  build  him  a  bit  of 
a  house,  and  then,  ah,  then!  he  would  settle  down  and 
be  a  serious  householder,  if  they  would  settle  down  and 

Then  he  remembered  those  words  of  Padre  Joao,  the 
last  he  had  heard  from  his  lips,  but  the  Padre  was 
dead :  he  had  left  him  with  a  charge  of  buckshot  in  his 
breast,  the  treacherous  hypocrite!  and  was  not  yet  re- 
gretting the  deed. 

Thus  he  mused,  and  hope  flowed  and  ebbed  as  it 
had  done  many  a  time  during  three  years,  only  now 
the  tide  rose  higher  and  fell  lower  than  ever  before, 
and  the  sun  was  at  once  brighter  and  darker  than  it 
had  ever  been  before. 

So  he  rode  on,  but  he  did  not  go  to  Brotas  and 
Jahu;  no,  he  crossed  to  the  other  side  of  the  Tiete  and 
went  through  Sorocoba,  Botucatu,  Sao  Manoel  and 
Lengoes,  and  thus  he  reached  the  sertao  at  last,  and 
his  heart  expanded  and  his  breath  came  deeper  and 
faster  as  he  left  the  thickly  settled  districts,  the  coffee 
groves  and  the  close- joined  farms,  and  hour  after  hour 
rode  beneath  forest  giants  with  clinging  parasites  and 


78  HORACIO 

hanging  vines  and  heard  the  parrots  chatter,  and  saw  hia 
old  enemies,  the  monkeys,  leap  from  bough  to  bough. 

The  pleasant  monotony  of  the  never-ending  rows  of 
rich  green  coffee  trees  was  gone,  with  their  nestling 
colonies  of  laborers  and  the  great  terreiros  for  drying 
the  fragrant  berries.  Only  the  occasional  shouts  of  the 
men  who  ran  with  the  oxen  that  dragged  the  sacks  of 
coffee  from  some  outlying  sitio  mingled  with  the  voices 
of  the  forest,  except  that  the  distant  squeaking  of  the 
cart  itself  pervaded  the  atmosphere  like  the  music  of 
a  circular  saw  cutting  through  a  sheet  of  tin  to  the 
accompaniment  of  a  small  pig  under  a  gate,  and  both 
to  the  time  of  Old  Hundred.  A  cessation  of  the  awful 
concert  would  be  an  unwelcome  bit  of  peace  to  the  un- 
happy carter,  as  it  would  mean  the  instant  charring 
of  the  wooden  axles  of  his  cart  in  their  wooden  boxes. 
Even  this  dubious  melody  came  to  the  traveler's  ears 
with  a  grateful  sound  when  it  was  far  enough  away 
to  be  somewhat  mellowed  by  the  distance. 

The  voices  of  the  forest  seemed  to  welcome  him  back 
to  his  old  haunts,  yet  they  could  not  have  recognized 
him  now,  for  a  soft  brown  beard  covered  his  sunburned 
face,  and  he  was  broader  and  taller  and  altogether  dif- 
ferent from  the  Horacio  of  the  old  times. 

Thus  he  left  station  after  station  behind  him  and 
drew  ever  closer  under  the  cloak  of  the  sertao  and 
came  nearer  and  nearer  to  the  sitio.  At  last  he  reached 
the  well-known  point  where  the  road  turned  off  to 
find  it,  but  when  he  had  reached  it  he  came  to  an 
abrupt  halt  and  looked  about  him  in  dismay. 


THE  MERCHANT  79 

Yes,  there  was  the  road,  but  it  was  now  quite  grown 
up  with  capoeira  and  only  an  ill-defined  path  led  into 
the  depths  of  the  forest.  What  could  this  mean?  His 
heart  grew  sick  as  his  welcome  began  to  fade  away  and 
hope  ebbed  again. 

But  there  was  no  use  standing  there  like  a  bobo  at 
the  crossroads!  Thrusting  Bonito  with  his  spurs,  he 
dashed  forward  along  the  narrow  trail,  dodging  and 
ducking  to  avoid  the  branches  and  slashing  with  his 
knife  where  they  hung  too  low.  All  the  way  along  he 
was  cheering  himself  with  the  thought  that  of  course 
they  had  cut  another  and  a  nearer  road  out  and  dis- 
carded the  old. 

Three  hours  from  the  time  he  left  the  main  road 
he  debouched  into  the  clearing  and  gazed  about  him. 
Bonito  also  looked  at  the  once  familiar  scene  with 
evident  amazement  and  distrust:  then  he  lifted  his 
head  high  and  whinnied  sadly,  but  without  reply. 

A  mass  of  charred  ruins  marked  the  spot  where 
the  buildings  had  been.  The  mud  floor  of  the  house 
stood  above  the  level  of  the  earth  about  it,  and  its 
hard  surface  still  showed  the  inequalities  which  his 
feet,  and  Anna's  too,  alas,  had  helped  to  wear. 

He  flung  himself  from  the  horse  and  left  him  to 
graze  where  he  would  with  trailing  reins,  for  Bonito, 
not  being  a  misanthrope,  had  already  forgotten  his  lack 
of  a  welcome  and  was  busy  nibbling  here  and  there 
at  the  green  grass. 

Horacio  mounted  the  steps  and  entered  the  area 
once  occupied  by  the  house.  Not  a  vestige  of  any- 


80  HORACIO 

thing  remained  to  remind  one  of  the  individuality  of 
the  former  dwellers  there,  yet  the  uneven  dirt  floor 
appealed  to  him  as  though  it  might  mutely  speak  of 
those  who  had  trodden  it  so  often  and  now  were  gone, 
he  knew  not  where. 

His  eyes  filled  and  he  turned  hastily  away  toward 
the  plantation,  which  was  now  wildly  overgrown  with 
the  capoeira  of  at  least  three  years.  So  it  had  come 
soon  after  his  departure!  Then  he  remembered  the 
threat  of  Father  Joao.  Could  he  be  living  still?  For 
the  first  time  since  he  had  seen  the  burly  priest  lying 
prone  upon  the  earth  before  the  door  of  the  ball-room 
in  Jahu  a  dark  presentiment  and  ugly  fear  came 
upon  him,  and  yet  it  seemed  as  though  it  could  not  be. 

He  remembered  the  trouble  with  the  savages  that 
had  boiled  beneath  the  surface  for  so  many  months. 
Surely  it  must  have  been  they  who  had  wrought  this 
devastation !  A  thousand  times  better. 

Turning  away  from  the  coffee  that  was  scarce  vis- 
ible, and  from  the  corn-field  that  was  a  jungle,  he 
sat  upon  the  old  chopping-block  and  bowed  his  head 
in  his  hands. 

Not  a  sound  broke  the  silence  save  the  jingle  of 
Bonito's  bit  as  he  munched  the  grass,  the  shrill  call 
of  the  macuco  and  the  metallic  "tank!  tank!"  of  the 
araponga  which  came  from  the  forest. 

A  deer  bounded  suddenly  out  of  the  wood  and  as 
suddenly  vanished  at  sight  of  the  intruders.  Horacio 
raised  his  head,  and  with  dull  misery  gnawing  at  his 
heart,  drew  the  saddle  from  Bonito's  back  and  began 


THE  MERCHANT  81 

to  make  a  fire,  although  he  knew  not  what  he  should 
use  it  for,  having  nothing  with  him  save  a  bit  of  dry 
bread. 

Following  the  old  trail  to  the  cafezal,  cutting  the 
green  growth  as  he  passed  in  order  to  push  his  way 
through,  he  found  an  abundance  of  ripe  mamao.  It 
would  help  out  the  bread  a  bit  to  have  this  fruit  and 
in  the  morning  he  would  return — but  whither? 

There  are  dropping-off  places  in  our  lives,  and  Ho- 
racio  was  come  to  one  of  these.  Yet  he  must  make 
up  his  mind  to  go  somewhere  or  starve,  for  there 
was  nothing  at  the  old  sitio  to  satisfy  hunger,  unarmed 
as  he  was  and  unable  to  provide  himself  with  game 
of  any  sort.  Should  he  buy  himself  a  gun  and  go 
back  to  his  old  trade  again?  Somehow  his  heart  re- 
volted at  the  thought  of  seeking  the  solitude  of  the  for- 
est in  his  great  loneliness.  Better  to  be  within  sight  and 
touch  of  his  fellow-men. 

Thus  he  fell  asleep,  wrapped  in  his  heavy  pala,  in 
a  turnmoil  of  conflicting  emotions  and  with  the  matter 
still  undecided,  to  awake  at  break  of  day  to  finish 
his  mamaos  and  gallop  off  on  Bonito  toward  the  civili- 
zation which  he  had  so  lately  left. 

Not  long  after  he  had  reached  the  main  road  he 
came  upon  a  man  travelling  in  a  direction  opposite  to 
his  own.  The  stranger  saluted  him  and  checked  his 
horse  as  Horacio  drew  rein. 

"Bom  dia!"  he  said  in  response  to  the  ex-cavalry- 
man's salutation. 

"Can  you  tell  me  if  there  is  a  fazendeiro  in  the 


82  HORACIO 

vicinity  of  the  name  of  Castro?"  the  young  man  asked 
him,  hoping  against  hope  that  this  man  might  know 
something  of  his  people. 

"Castro — Castro,"  the  other  mused;  "that  would 
be  Antonio  Garcia  de  Castro — no?" 

"No,"  replied  Horacio,  trying  not  to  betray  his  eager- 
ness, "the  man  I  am  seeking  is  one  Jose  Antonio  de 
Castro." 

"Ah,  now  I  know!"  cried  the  other,  his  face  light- 
ing with  comprehension;  "he  lived  five  leagues  from 
here,  on  Riberao  Velho.  'Tis  three  years  now  since  the 
bugres  wiped  out  the  fazenda  and  all  that  were  on  it, 
excepting  the  son  who  shot  the  priest  at  Jahu  and  got 
away.  Father  Joao  would  give  a  pretty  penny,  I  war- 
rant, to  get  his  fingers  on  him." 

Horacio  started  and  then  restrained  himself. 
"Father  Joao  was  the  priest  who  was  shot,  was  he?" 
he  asked,  with  what  indifference  he  could  assume. 

"Ay,  the  job  was  well  done,  too,  and  he  like  to 
have  died  of  it,  for  there  were  seven  buckshot  in  him; 
but  although  he  was  so  well  perforated  his  soul  did  not 
get  out,  and  he  got  well  at  last,  after  he  had  spent 
twenty  contos  on  the  doctors,  and  cheap  at  that,  for  he 
lay  fourteen  months  on  his  bed  ere  he  could  move. ' ' 

An  exultant  thrill  of  savage  satisfaction  ran  over 
the  young  man  as  he  thanked  the  stranger  and  rode 
on.  Better  far  that  Anna  and  all  the  rest  had  perished 
at  the  hands  of  the  savages  or  in  the  flames  of  the 
burning  buildings!  Better  for  all  to  be  over  than  that 
worse  things  had  befallen  them! 


THE  MERCHANT  83 

He  rode  on  his  way  with  a  bleeding  heart  and  yet 
with  a  strange  feeling  of  thankfulness,  stopping  only 
for  refreshment  here  and  there  until  he  reached  Sao 
Manoel,  a  large  and  beautiful  town  set  against  the 
sloping  hillside  like  clustered  corn  upon  the  ear. 

Weary  and  objectless  he  took  his  disheartened  way 
along  the  street,  when  a  hearty  voice  called  him  by 
name,  and,  looking  up,  he  saw  a  man  of  soldierly 
bearing  whom  he  at  once  recognized  as  the  colonel 
he  had  often  served  as  orderly.  His  hand  went  up 
instantly  in  salute. 

"Whither  art  thou  bound,  Horacio?"  the  officer  in- 
quired affably,  as  the  young  man  dismounted  and  stood 
before  him. 

"I  am  but  now  returned  from  the  sertao  where  I 
sought  my  family,  but — but — they  are  all  gone." 

"What,  moved  away?  So  thou  art  seeking  them 
now?" 

"No,  senhor,"  he  replied,  gulping  hard  at  the  sound 
of  the  first  friendly  voice,  "they  are  dead — all  dead — 
slain  by  the  Indians!" 

"What!  Oh,  I  am  sorry.  When  did  it  happen? 
What  wilt  thou  do?" 

"I  know  not  what  I  shall  do,  senhor,  unless  I  re- 
turn to  the  army.  The  matter  happened  long  ago," 
replied  Horacio,  reversing  the  order  of  his  answers, 
and  then  he  told  him  of  the  attack  by  the  Indians. 

"  'Twould  be  well  thought  to  enlist  again,  but  stay 
a  moment! — I  have  an  idea.  Hast  thou  a  talent  for 
business?  I  know  thee  to  be  sober  and  honest.  There 


84  HORACIO 

is  a  venda  on  my  place  here  which  is  about  to  change 
hands.  If  thou  carest  to  buy  it  thou  canst  get  it  at  a 
low  figure." 

"I  have  but  two  hundred  milreis  and  the  four  hun- 
dred odd  that  the  Government  owes  me,"  objected 
Horacio  doubtfully. 

"Hum!  The  four  hundred  are  a  thing  of  the  future 
— distant  future.  We  would  best  not  consider  them. 
But  look !  If  my  credit  can  serve  thee  we  shall  strike  a 
bargain.  Come  on  with  me !" 

Carried  along  by  the  enthusiasm  of  his  colonel,  the 
young  man  led  his  horse  by  the  reins  and  followed 
him  as  he  made  his  way  to  his  own  house.  The  officer 
owned  a  fazenda  near  by,  as  well  as  his  own  house  in 
town  and  a  number  of  others  which  he  let.  Among 
these  last  was  a  small  venda,  or  shop,  which  had 
changed  hands  often,  to  the  great  loss  of  rentals,  and  so 
the  provident  colonel  had  thought  of  the  ex-cavalryman 
as  a  steady  tenant  for  the  place. 

The  venda  was  a  small  affair,  but  it  was  capable  of 
expansion  under  an  energetic  hand,  for  much  business 
came  to  the  town.  Horacio  looked  the  place  over  and, 
foot-free  as  he  was,  easily  came  to  a  decision.  He  gave 
his  ready  cash  and  a  note  for  the  remaining  five  hun- 
dred milreis  of  the  purchase  price — which  the  colonel 
guaranteed — and  was  put  in  immediate  possession  of  the 
place;  so  the  hunter  and  soldier  was  now  become  a  mer- 
chant. 

Back  of  the  venda  were  living-rooms,  and  the  young 
man  hunted  an  old  woman  to  cook  and  clean  for  him. 


THE  MERCHANT  85 

Trade  grew  with  thrift  and  Horacio  was  popular.  The 
place  soon  came  to  be  a  resort  for  loungers  in  the  even- 
ings and  brisk  trade  in  the  daytime,  until  the  proprietor 
was  busy  enough  to  be  kept  from  dwelling  on  matters 
of  which  it  were  better  not  to  think.  Alas !  that  which 
is  without  remedy  is  remedied  already. 

The  colonel's  furlough  was  soon  over  and  he  was 
gone.  The  life  of  one  day  was  very  like  the  life  of 
another.  In  the  morning  the  caipiras  passed  and  he 
bought  fresh  vegetables,  sugar,  cheese,  tobacco  and 
cachaga,  or  else  he  left  his  shop  in  the  care  of  his 
ancient  housekeeper  and  sought  the  wholesaler  for 
matches,  twine  and  other  manufactured  goods.  As  his 
trade  grew  his  stock  grew  with  it,  and  some  day  soon 
he  hoped  to  be  able  to  pay  his  debt  and  accumulate  a 
surplus. 

One  day  a  peddler  entered  the  shop  and  stood  by  the 
doorway  wiping  his  sweaty  brow  with  a  great  bandanna 
handkerchief.  Horacio  looked  at  the  man  with  some 
interest.  He  was  old  and  as  black  as  Afric  darkness, 
while  his  grizzled  hair  and  beard  stood  out  in  contrast 
with  his  dusky  skin.  His  eyes  were  covered  with  a  pair 
of  huge  blue  spectacles  and  his  legs  protected  with  high 
boots.  Jingling  spurs  dragged  at  his  heels,  for  he  rode 
a  mule  and  carried  his  wares  in  a  mala  made  of  stout 
cloth,  a  double-ended  sack,  in  fact,  which  hung  across 
his  saddle,  loaded  at  both  ends.  This  he  laid  upon  the 
counter  with  his  pala,  gazing  slowly  about  the  room  as 
he  mopped  his  brow.  He  evidently  was  studying  his 
prospective  customer  and  his  surroundings. 


86  HORACIO 

"Does  the  senhor  read?"  he  asked  in  kindly  tones, 
as  he  drew  a  number  of  books  from  one  end  of  the 
mala. 

' '  Yes, ' '  replied  the  young  merchant  * '  What  have  you 
there?  Romances?" 

"Better  than  that,  my  young  friend — better  than  that. 
I  have  here  the  secret  of  a  happy  life,  the  key  to  infinite 
treasures,  the  guide  to  heaven ! ' ' 

The  old  negro  crooned  the  words  in  a  sort  of  mellow 
rhythm  and  Horacio  smiled  in  intellectual  patronage. 
So  the  old  man  was  but  half-baked!  but  he  would  see 
what  he  had  at  any  rate — perhaps  some  volume  to 
while  away  the  hours,  for  he  had  no  book  of  his  own. 
The  stranger  laid  out  a  number  of  books  of  all  sizes 
and  styles. 

"I  cannot  afford  one  of  these,"  said  Horacio,  shaking 
his  head  positively,  "all  leather  and  gold." 

The  peddler  chuckled  to  himself  as  if  it  were  a  huge 
joke. 

"Pauh!"  he  ejaculated.  "Is  business  so  bad  in  this 
part  of  the  country?  Cannot  afford  two  milreis  to 
learn  the  Way  of  Life?  Here  is  a  fine  one,  large  type 
and  good  binding.  Only  two  milreis!  It  costs  more 
than  that,  s'or,  to  make  it  up,  but  they  sell  it  cheap  and 
at  a  loss,  that  everyone  may  have  a  chance  to  get  it. 
Take  the  book,  for  I  cannot  stop  long.  I  must  push 
on  to  Botucatu." 

Horacio  turned  the  large  and  handsome  volume  over 
and  over  in  his  hand.  On  the  back  in  letters  of  gold 
was  a  single  word,  "BIBLIA."  So  this  was  the  Bible 


THE  MERCHANT  87 

— a  book  he  scarcely  knew  by  reputation,  and  that  rep- 
utation only  evil.  Curiosity  mastered  him.  He  would 
investigate.  Drawing  a  ragged  bit  of  paper  money  from 
the  till  he  handed  it  to  the  old  negro,  who  immediately 
repacked  his  books  and  rode  on,  while  the  lad  set  the 
volume  on  a  shelf  and  gave  his  attention  to  customers 
who  had  entered. 

When  leisure  came,  as  it  did  come  by  spells,  he  read 
the  book,  beginning  at  the  first  page,  and  found  it  of 
some  interest,  although  all  of  it  did  not  seem  clear  to 
him.  Here  and  there  he  came  upon  a  familiar  phrase 
or  story,  the  origin  of  which  he  had  never  known  be- 
fore, and  he  marvelled  much  that  this  book,  of  which 
he  had  heard  so  much  evil  spoken,  should  have  written 
on  the  title  page: 

"TRANSLATED  INTO  PORTUGUESE  ACCORD- 
ING TO  THE  LATIN  VULGATE  BY  PADRE  AN- 
TONIO PEREIRA  DE  FIGUEIREDO.  Edition  ap- 
proved in  1842  by  QUEEN  MARY  II,  consulting  with 
the  PATRIARCH  ARCHBISHOP-ELECT  of  Lisbon." 

Why  should  a  padre  translate  what  was  evil  into  the 
vulgar  tongue?  But  perhaps  it  was  to  sell  the  book 
and  raise  money  for  the  church.  At  any  rate,  he  was 
not  predisposed  in  favor  of  the  padres  and  would  see 
for  himself  what  there  was  in  the  book.  So  he  went 
on  to  read  of  Abraham  and  Joseph  and  Moses  and  David 
and  Solomon,  and  then  he  did  not  seem  to  understand 
very  much  of  what  followed. 

Now  there  was  an  old  man  who  came  that  way  at 
times  and  sat  in  his  doorway  on  a  barrel  that  stood 


88  EORACIO 

there,  to  pass  the  time  of  day  with  him  and  chat  about 
one  thing  or  another.  He  never  bought  much  of  any- 
thing, and  it  did  not  seem  likely  that  he  had  much 
money  to  buy.  Horacio  liked  the  old  man,  but  he  was 
evil  spoken  of  in  the  neighborhood. 

One  day  the  old  fellow  stopped  at  the  door  while 
Horacio  was  reading.  The  young  man  glanced  up, 
and,  nodding  in  a  friendly  way,  returned  to  his  book. 

"  Understandest  thou  what  thou  readest?"  of  a  sud- 
den the  old  man  asked. 

The  shopkeeper  looked  up  again  and  laughed  as  he 
ran  the  pages  through  his  fingers.  ' '  The  book  is  divert- 
ing. Part  of  it  is  funny  and  part  is  full  of  tales..  Just 
now  I  have  come  to  a  place  where  I  understand  nothing, 
but  I  am  not  half  done  yet. ' ' 

"Turn  on  a  bit  further,  my  boy,  and  start  afresh 
at  the  Gospel  of  Matthew,  and  if  thou  dost  not  under- 
stand let  me  know  when  I  pass  again,"  said  the  old  man, 
and  taking  his  cane  he  moved  slowly  off  down  the 
street. 

Horacio  was  surprised  to  find  that  his  friend  was 
acquainted  with  the  book,  but  he  looked  a  bit  further 
along  through  its  pages  and  came  to  a  place  where  he 
saw  the  words  "Sao  Mattheus,"  at  the  beginning  of  a 
chapter,  so  he  paused  there  and  began  to  read. 

At  first  he  thought  that  the  old  man  had  been  divert- 
ing himself  at  his  expense,  for  he  came  upon  a  long  list 
of  names  which  he  could  not  pronounce  or  understand, 
but  after  this  there  began  a  'story,  and  as  he  read  the 
interest  grew. 


THE  MERCHANT  89 

When  the  old  man  came  again  he  had  many  questions 
to  ask  him,  and  the  old  man  told  him  why  all  the  stories 
were  in  the  Book  and  what  it  all  meant. 

At  first  Horacio  did  not  believe  and  was  only  interest- 
ed, but  there  came  a  time  at  last  when  he  knew  that  the 
Book  was  written  for  him,  and  that  he  could  nevermore 
have  peace  in  the  old  life. 

"How  comes  it  that  you  know  of  the  Book  and  the 
meaning  of  it,  Sor  Jose  ? "  he  asked  one  day,  in  wonder. 

"Ah,  I  have  known  these  many  years.  Our  brethren 
of  North  America  came  down  to  tell  us  the  good  news. 
There  was  one,  Meestare  Shambareleen,  1.  that  went  on 
horseback  through  all  this  country  to  the  sertao  telling 
the  Way  of  Life;  and  I  went  with  him  to  care  for  the 
animals,  which  was  no  light  and  pleasant  task  either,  I 
tell  you — not  the  caring  for  the  horses — that  was  noth- 
ing !  but  the  other :  for  they  stoned  him  and  reviled  him 
and  drove  him  from  the  towns,  yet  he  showed  no  fear. 
So  we  went  from  place  to  place,  and  I  heard  him  speak 
and  plead  with  men  and  set  before  them  the  Way  of 
Life,  until  God  took  away  the  heart  of  stone  that  was  in 
me  and  put  in  its  place  a  heart  of  flesh.  Since  then 
I  have  grown  old  studying  the  Book." 

"And  what  of  this  Meestare  Sham — Sham — how  do 
you  call  it?    Where  is  he  now?" 

"Shambareleen  is  the  name.  He  has  gone  to  another 
field  in  the  North.  But  there  are  others  of  the  North 
Americans,  and  now  there  are  Brazilians  who  do  the 

1  The  late  Rev.  Geo.  W.  Chamberlain,  D.  D.,  to  whose  Christian 
enthusiasm  and  devotion  the  Protestant  Church  in  Brazil  owes  such 
a  lasting  debt. 


90  HORACIO 

same.  Here  in  Sao  Manoel  there  is  no  one  save  my- 
self only." 

Thus  the  days  went  by,  and  what  with  Jose  Capitao 
and  what  with  the  Book,  Horacio  was  brought  to  the 
feet  of  the  Saviour  with  conviction  of  sin,  and  there 
he  found  forgiveness  and  hope. 

One  night  the  Lord  Christ  called  him,  and  he  an- 
swered, "Yes,  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do?" 
and  the  answer  came,  "I  would  have  thee  preach  to  thy 
people,  which  are  my  people.  I  need  thee  for  Brazil." 

Then  Horacio  fell  asleep  in  peace  and  awoke  a  new 
creature,  with  a  new  hope,  a  new  joy,  a  new  faith,  and 
some  great  problems  to  solve. 

That  day  Jose  Capitao  came  again  and  Horacio  had 
many  more  questions  to  ask  him,  but  the  old  man 
saw  by  his  face  that  he  was  born  anew  and  took  him 
to  his  breast  in  a  warm  embrace,  while  the  tears  of 
joy  filled  his 'old  eyes  full. 

"Where  can  one  go,  Sor  Jose,  to  learn  of  the  Book? 
I  want  to  study  so  that  I  can  explain  it  to  others," 
he  finally  managed  to  ask  him. 

"Oh,  there  is  the  American  School  at  Sao  Paulo,  and 
then  the  Theological  Seminary;  but  all  that  takes 
money." 

"Yes,  but  how  long  must  I  study — six  months? — a 
year?" 

"More  than  that!  I  fancy  it  must  take  four  or  five 
years  at  least." 

"Five  years!  Ah,  that  is  much!  How  can  I  study 
for  five  years?" 


TEE  MERCHANT  91 

"The  Lord  will  provide.  If  He  needs  thee  for  the 
work  He  will  surely  open  the  way." 

"Oh,  I  must  go!  There  is  no  other  way.  If  I  be- 
gin, will  He  do  the  rest?" 

"Thou  canst  but  try  Him,  lad.  His  promises  are 
sure. ' ' 

"Then  I  will  try  Him  at  once,"  said  the  young  con- 
vert firmly,  and  began  to  move  about  the  shop  with 
a  sheet  of  paper  and  a  pencil,  counting  the  things  on 
the  shelves. 

' '  What  art  thou  doing  ? ' '  asked  old  Jose  in  wonder. 

"I  am  counting  up  what  I  have,  in  order  that  I  may 
sell  it  to  advantage,"  he  replied. 

"Not  so  fast!  Not  so  fast!  Better  look  ahead  and 
count  the  cost." 

"I  have  counted  the  cost.  Doth  not  the  Book  say 
that  the  just  shall  live  by  faith?  My  people  have 
walked  in  darkness  too  long." 

"But  thy  friends  and  thy  family?  Hast  thou  not 
obligations  to  them?" 

"They  are  all  gone.  I  owe  no  man  anything  save 
the  debt  that  is  on  this  shop,  and  that  I  shall  pay." 
Suddenly,  as  he  spoke  these  words,  a  memory  seized 
him  of  the  priest,  Father  Joao,  but  he  shook  it  off. 
Then  he  went  on  with  his  rude  inventory  and  soon 
was  able  to  estimate  that  his  stock  and  the  good-will 
of  the  business,  which  were  now  of  much  greater  value 
than  when  he  took  the  place,  ought  to  pay  for  his  debt 
and  leave  him  with  five  or  six  hundred  milreis  in  hand. 

The  old  man  soon  took  his  departure,  after  pressing 


92  HORACIO 

his  hand  warmly  and  again  cautioning  him  against  un- 
due haste.  Horacio  closed  the  shop-door  in  the  face 
of  custom  and  went  to  make  a  trade  with  one  who  had 
desired  a  partnership  with  him  for  some  time. 

Shortly  afterwards  he  returned  with  the  prospective 
purchaser  to  show  him  the  place.  A  bargain  was  finally 
concluded  which  liquidated  the  debt  and  gave  the  re- 
tiring young  merchant  six  hundred  milreis.  Possession 
was  to  be  given  the  next  day,  but  the  new  proprietor 
came  behind  the  counter  at  once. 

The  only  thing  which  remained  to  be  done  was  to 
write  a  letter  to  the  colonel,  and  on  this  task  Horacio 
spent  his  evening. 


V. 

THE     CONVICT. 

HORACIO  lay  upon  his  bed  that  night  turning  many 
plans  and  projects  in  his  brain,  when  suddenly  the 
thought  of  Father  Joao  came  to  him  again.  Would  it 
be  right  and  becoming  for  a  minister  of  the  Grospel  to 
go  about  with  such  a  matter  hanging  over  him  ?  Would 
not  the  Gospel  be  brought  to  shame  if  some  man  should 
stand  out  and  point  his  finger  at  him  and  say,  ' '  Satisfy 
the  State  for  thy  crime  ere  thou  attempt  to  speak  in  that 
Name!" 

Now  Horacio  had  never  felt  one  least  atom  of  regret 
for  what  he  had  done  until  he  had  been  constrained  by 
the  love  of  Christ  to  lay  this  sin  at  the  Saviour's  feet, 
and  he  knew  that  the  blood  had  washed  away  the  stain, 
but  that  knowledge  did  not  give  him  rest  and  peace, 
cried  out  for  atonement.  What  should  he  do?  Which 
way  should  he  turn? 

It  was  a  hard  question  to  decide.  He  argued  it  first 
on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other.  Why  need  any  one 
know?  He  could  change  his  name,  and  by  the  time  he 
had  completed  his  studies  he  might  walk  safely  up  and 
down  the  land.  Then  he  remembered  that  he  had  al- 
ready changed  his  name  and  taken  upon  himself  a  new 

93 


94  HORACIO 

name,  and  it  was  not  fitting  that  such  a  stigma  should 
attach  to  the  new  one. 

"If  thy  brother  have  aught  against  thee "  Ah,  he 

would  first  seek  out  Padre  Joao  and  confess  his  fault 
and  beg  for  forgiveness,  and  if  he  gave  it,  well  enough, 
but  if  not,  his  hands  would  be  clean  of  the  fault  and  he 
might  disappear. 

Then  he  remembered  what  manner  of  man  the  priest 
was,  and  how  he  was  hot  for  vengeance;  and  he  knew 
that  he  could  hope  for  no  mercy  there.  Yet  there  would 
be  no  peace  in  his  own  heart  if  he  hid  himself.  No, 
there  was  no  escape  for  him:  he  must  give  himself  up 
to  the  authorities  and  take  the  consequences;  and  then, 
when  he  had  served  his  time,  he  might  think  of  the 
ministry. 

Having  made  this  resolve,  Horacio  turned  over  in  bed 
and  slept. 

Jose  Capitao  was  awakened  the  next  morning  to  find 
the  young  man  on  horseback  before  his  door. 

"Dismount!  dismount!"  the  old  man  cried.  "I  am 
right  glad  to  see  thee.  Wilt  thou  stop  with  me  for  a 
few  days  ? ' ' 

' '  No,  no.  I  am  off  for  Jahu. ' ' 

"Jahu?  Jahu?     There  is  no  school  in  Jahu." 

"No,  there  is  no  school  there,  but  there  is  a  prison," 
said  the  young  man  gloomily. 

"How — a  prison?"  was  the  puzzled  reply.  "What 
hast  thou  to  do  with  the  prison  in  Jahu  ?  But  dismount 
and  tell  me  about  it!  Here  I  am  like  an  old  chuckle- 
head  keeping  thee  in  the  saddle.  Wait  while  I  speak 


THE  CONVICT  95 

for  the  coffee!  Now  go  ahead  with  thy  tale!  I  am 
ready. ' ' 

So  Horacio  told  his  story  to  the  wondering  old  man, 
who  exclaimed  pityingly, 

"Well,  well!  the  pain  of  it!  Oh,  the  pain  of  it!  Yet 
I  know  not  but  that  thou  art  right.  I  feel  myself  small 
to  advise.  If  I  should  say  'Go  not,'  it  may  be  the  will 
of  God  for  thee  to  go;  and  if  I  should  say  'Go,'  it 
may  be  His  will  that  thou  shouldst  not  go.  Let  us 
look  to  Him  for  guidance,  and  then,  if  thou  be  still  of 
the  same  mind  and  resolved  upon  going,  go  and  the  Lord 
go  with  thee!" 

So  they  two  stood  up  at  the  table  where  the  emp- 
tied coffee  cups  were  sitting,  and  Sor  Jose  lifted  up 
his  heart  and  voice  in  prayer,  after  which  Horacio 
threw  himself  into  his  arms,  shook  hands  with  the  old 
man's  wife,  and,  flinging  himself  upon  Bonito,  galloped 
off. 

Two  days  later  he  rode  into  Jahu,  to  which  he  had 
been  a  stranger  for  four  years,  as  night  was  falling,  and 
put  up  at  a  small  hotel  in  the  place. 

As  they  were  getting  ready  a  bite  for  him  to  eat 
he  sat  dejectedly  by  the  table,  staring  at  nothing  and 
thinking  of  the  same.  He  had  come  to  a  point  where 
he  could  not  think.  All  the  warmth  of  heart  which  he 
had  felt  when  his  resolve  was  freshly  made  had  now  de- 
parted. Almost  it  seemed  that  his  guiding-star  had 
forsaken  him.  He  lifted  his  eyes  and  glanced  about  the 
dusky  room,  which  was  illuminated  by  the  usual  bit  of 
wick  in  a  bottle  of  kerosene. 


96  HORACIO 

Opposite  to  him  upon  the  wall  was  a  strange-look- 
ing photograph  in  a  dingy  black  frame.  He  could  not 
make  it  out  in  the  obscurity,  but  it  excited  his  curiosity 
so  much  that  at  last  he  arose  and  went  over  to  examine  it 

In  the  center  of  the  picture  Father  Joao  was  sitting 
up  in  his  bed,  nude  to  the  waist,  and  looking  wan  and 
emaciated.  On  each  side  was  a  physician  supporting 
the  injured  man,  while  against  the  white  skin  of  his 
body  Horacio  counted  seven  little  round  black  spots. 

The  innkeeper  came  in  and  found  him  looking  at  the 
lugubrious  portrait.  With  an  exclamation  of  ecstatic 
pride  he  explained  to  his  guest: 

"That  is  our  priest,  Father  Joao!  He  was  ill  many 
months  and  no  one  thought  he  would  live.  A  young 
ruffian  shot  him,  after  stealing  a  girl  who  was  the 
good  priest's  ward.  Father  Joao  had  him  arrested 
and  the  lad  shot  him  and  got  away,  but  the  judg- 
ment of  God  fell  upon  his  house,  for  the  bugres  slew 
all  his  family  and  burned  their  house  to  the  ground 
shortly  afterward." 

"So  your  priest  is  very  popular  with  you?" 

"Oh,  yes,  he  is  well  liked.  A  finer  man  never  lived. 
Some  complain  that  he  is  a  bit  sprightly  to  be  wearing 
the  cassock,  but  for  my  part  I  like  him  the  better  for 
it.  Those  that  go  about  with  a  face  as  long  as  a  fiddle 
are  quite  likely  greater  rogues  for  all  of  their  pious 
looks,  while  Father  Joao  was  the  life  of  a  wedding  or 
a  christening,  and,  though  his  prices  were  a  bit  stiff,  yet 
they  were  no  worse  than  the  others.  What  he  made  he 
spent  here  in  the  town,  and  all  he  had  hoarded  went 


THE  CONVICT  97 

to  pay  the  doctors  while  he  was  ill,  so  we  have  it  all 
back  again  in  one  way  or  another;  for  the  doctors  from 
Sao  Paulo  stopped  at  my  house,  and  thus  what  I  paid 
for  christenings  came  back  again  in  due  time,"  and  he 
chuckled  at  his  own  wit. 

Horacio  liked  neither  the  picture  nor  the  subject  of 
the  conversation,  so  he  gladly  turned  in  silence  to  the 
food  which  by  this  time  the  talkative  landlord  had  placed 
upon  the  table. 

On  the  morrow  he  presented  himself  to  the  Juiz  de 
Dereito,  who  was  not  the  same  magistrate  who  had 
accompanied  Father  Joao  on  his  memorable  visit  to  the 
sitio  years  before.  When  Horacio  had  finished  explain- 
ing what  had  brought  him  there  the  worthy  gentleman 
laid  down  his  pen  and  looked  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"So  you  are  the  lad  who  shot  Father  Joao,  and  you 
have  come  to  surrender  yourself?  Que  diabo!  Well, 
I  never!  What  in  the  name  of  all-possessed  do  you 
want  to  do  that  for?" 

"I  committed  an  offence  against  the  State,  and  I 
want  to  make  it  right." 

"Just  so!  Well,  you  can  make  it  right  with  the 
State  a  good  deal  easier  than  with  Father  Joao,  I  take 

it;  for  if  he  catches  you However,  that  is  none  of 

my  concern,  and  he  is  out  of  town  at  present.  Let  me 
see—" 

Horacio 's  spirits  rose  somewhat,  both  on  knowing 
that  his  enemy  was  away  and  on  finding  the  magis- 
trate kindly  disposed. 

"Let  me  see,"  he  continued,   "I  tell  you   truly  I 


98  HORACIO 

would  prefer  not  to  take  cognizance  of  this  affair,  and 
would  turn  you  loose  if  I  could.  You  say  you  have 
served  three  years  in  the  army  and  are  a  sergeant  with 
an  honorable  discharge,  yet  that  counts  for  nothing  at 
law.  Fortunately  for  you  the  jury  is  sitting  now.  Let 
me  see,"  turning  to  his  clerk  or  secretary:  "put  this 
case  on  the  docket  for  to-day  and  we  will  get  it  out  of 
the  way  at  once.  It  may  be  better  for  all  of  us.  No?" 
and  he  glanced  shrewdly  at  Horacio.  ' '  Let  me  see,  shall 
we  find  you  an  attorney?" 

"I  think  not,  sir.  There  is  but  little  to  be  said,  and 
I  can  say  it  very  easily  for  myself,  but  I  thank  you 
very  much  for  your  kindness. ' ' 

"Not  at  all.  Not  at  all.  Sit  down  over  there  while 
my  secretary  makes  out  the  papers,  and  I  shall  give 
you  in  custody  at  once." 

' '  Your  Worship,  may  I  ask  that  my  horse  be  delivered 
to  Francisco  da  Gama  dos  Santos  in  case  I  am  con- 
demned? He  knows  me  and  will  care  for  the  animal." 

"Yes,  to  be  sure!  But  perhaps  it  will  not  be  neces- 
sary. Who  can  tell?"  said  the  kindly  magistrate,  as  he 
bundled  together  a  bunch  of  documents  and  indicated 
the  young  man  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  to  the  soldier 
who  came  at  his  call. 

A  gleam  of  hope  came  to  Horacio  and  he  followed 
the  man  with  a  lighter  heart.  The  soldier  evidently 
knew  from  the  judge's  manner  that  no  forcible  restraint 
or  rough  treatment  was  necessary,  and  presently  he 
ushered  him  into  a  cell  occupied  by  half  a  dozen  rough- 
looking  men. 


THE  CONVICT  99 

The  place  was  clean  enough  and  cots  stood  in  an  or- 
derly fashion  against  the  wall  on  either  side.  A  soldier 
sat  at  the  grated  door,  and  the  iron  bars  of  the  window 
were  fixed  in  an  iron  frame  which  was  let  into  the 
masonry.  The  floor  was  of  cement  and  was  evidently 
laid  upon  stone.  The  men  greeted  Horacio  as  a  com- 
panion in  iniquity,  and  the  young  man  had  been  too 
long  a  soldier  not  to  know  how  to  respond  in  a  friendly 
fashion  and  yet  have  them  keep  their  distance. 

When  he  had  frankly  told  them  the  nature  of  his 
offence  he  evidently  became  a  hero  in  their  eyes,  for 
looking  down  upon  them  from  the  wall  by  the  door  was 
a  copy  of  the  selfsame  portrait  of  the  padre  with  seven 
holes  in  him;  but  when  they  learned  that  he  had  come 
back  voluntarily,  after  nearly  four  years,  to  surrender 
himself,  they  set  him  down  for  a  fool  and  their  respect 
for  him  was  materially  lessened. 

About  eleven  o  'clock  the  same  soldier  who  had  brought 
him  there  came  to  conduct  him  to  his  trial,  and  in  a  few 
moments  he  found'  himself  in  the  courtroom  where  the 
jury  was  assembled.  The  case  was  soon  called  and  the 
clerk  read  the  accusation,  upon  which  all  eyes  were 
turned  toward  the  prisoner  with  unusual  interest.  As 
there  were  no  witnesses  either  for  or  against  the  accused, 
he  was  permitted  to  tell  his  own  story,  which  he  did  in 
a  frank  and  manly  fashion,  evidently  strongly  impress- 
ing both  judge  and  jury  in  his  favor,  when  suddenly,  as 
he  concluded,  there  was  a  stir  in  the  court-room  and 
Father  Joao  walked  in. 

No  one  had  noticed  a  man  slip  out  of  the  court-room 


100  HORACIO 

while  the  accusation  was  being  read,  nor  did  any  one 
know  that  Father  Joao  had  unexpectedly  returned  the 
night  before.  The  judge  flushed  slightly,  but  made  as 
though  he  had  not  noticed  the  interruption  caused  by 
the  turning  of  every  head  in  the  room  toward  the  door. 

"Gentlemen,  you  have  heard  the  evidence,"  he  be- 
gan, when  Father  Joao  broke  out,  ''Your  Worship!  I 
request  the  privilege  of  being  heard." 

"Ah,  Father  Joao!  Is  it  your  Reverence?"  said  the 
judge,  with  affected  innocence,  looking  up  at  the  priest. 
"Well,  you  have  the  privilege  of  speaking,  but  I  would 
suggest  that  you  secure  an  attorney  to  represent  you." 

"Yes,  just  so!  and  meanwhile  your  Worship  will 
shuffle  this  young  miscreant  through  the  jury  and  out 
the  back  door  to  pay  me  off  for  that  election  business ! ' ' 

An  appreciative  grin  became  visible  on  the  faces  of 
the  audience,  and  the  judge  seemed  to  recognize  that 
he  was  on  boggy  ground,  but  the  dignity  of  his  office 
demanded  that  he  protest. 

' '  Have  a  care,  your  Reverence !  You  forget  yourself. 
I  cannot  listen  to  such  language.  Sergeant!  kindly  con- 
duct his  Reverence  to  the  door. ' ' 

"I  ask  your  pardon  for  my — frankness,  your  Wor- 
ship. Officer,  I  will  not  trouble  you !  Gentlemen  of  the 
Jury,  I  ask  the  full  penalty  of  the  law  for  this  young 
man!  He  is  self-confessedly  guilty  and  must  pay  the 
penalty.  Gentlemen,  remember  your  duty  to  the  State 
and  to  your  injured,  I  may  say  your  martyred  shepherd ; 
one  who  in  defence  of  the  virtue  and  innocence " 

"Your   Reverence!"   shouted    the   judge,   recovering 


THE  CONVICT  101 

himself,  "this  is  very  irregular.     Gentlemen,  the  case 
is  closed.     You  may  retire!" 

The  priest  fixed  a  meaning  and  menacing  glance  upon 
certain  ones  in  the  jury-box  and  sat  down  in  the  nearest 
chair,  whereupon  the  jury  arose  and  left  the  room. 
Horacio  now  felt  assured  that  he  was  not  to  get  off 
as  lightly  as  he  had  begun  to  hope,  and  he  nerved  him- 
self for  a  most  unfavorable  verdict.  In  a  few  moments 
the  jury  filed  into  the  box  and  their  verdict  was  read: 

"  Guilty  of  assault  with  intent  to  kill,  with  extenu- 
ating circumstances  and  a  recommendation  to  mercy." 

The  judge  immediately  arose  and  sentenced  the  pris- 
oner to  two  years  in  the  jail  at  Jahu,  which  was  the 
lightest  sentence  he  dared  give  in  face  of  the  verdict. 
The  soldier  led  Horacio  away  again  and  locked  him  in 
the  cell,  after  promising  to  bring  his  bundle  from  the 
hotel  and  leave  his  horse  with  the  man  who  had  so  often 
purchased  the  hides  and  skins  which  he  had  brought  to 
Jahu  in  the  old  days. 

How  different  now  were  his  prospects  from  those 
which  had  opened  themselves  out  before  him  when, 
in  the  first  flush  of  his  new-born  enthusiasm,  he  had 
resolved  to  give  his  young  life  and  strength  to  the  spread 
of  the  gospel  among  his  own  people!  What  had  God 
in  store  for  him  here  in  this  prison,  when  he  had 
thought  to  please  Him  by  giving  himself  to  be  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel? 

He  glanced  about  him  at  the  thick  walls  and  ironed 
windows.  Could  such  as  these  hold  him  back  from 
freedom?  Yet  that  very  morning  he  had  still  been 


102  HORACIO 

free  to  go  on  his  way  or  on  the  way  of  duty,  and  he 
had  freely  chosen.  Now  the  rough  and  straitened 
way  was  his  path! 

The  soldier  came  to  the  door  and  handed  to  him 
through  the  little  wicket  such  things  as  he  might  have 
from  his  bundle,  among  them  a  book.  The  sight  of 
the  Book  brought  to  his  mind  a  dim  memory  of  some- 
thing that  he  had  read.  Where  was  it?  It  was  well 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Book — of  that  he  was  sure — 
Adam?  Noah?  Abraham?  Jacob?  no,  it  was  none  of 
these.  Ah,  he  had  it  now!  "And  Joseph's  master  took 
him  and  put  him  into  the  prison,  a  place  where  the 
king's  prisoners  were  bound,  but  the  Lord  was  with 
Joseph. ' ' 

Yes,  but  Joseph  was  unjustly  accused,  and  he  justly. 
Never  mind,  he  would  appropriate  the  comfort  that 
came  to  him,  and  so  he  read  on,  and  when  he  had  read 
it  to  himself  he  told  his  companions  of  Joseph  and  his 
story,  and  though  they  were  interested  in  the  tale, 
still  they  did  not  care  for  the  moral  of  it. 

The  days  went  slowly  by  and  Horacio  whiled  away 
the  time  by  reading  in  the  Book,  and  often  he  told 
his  companions  of  the  gospel  message  and  wondered 
why  they  did  not  receive  it  as  he  had  received  it;  but 
they  only  made  light  of  it,  although  they  were  glad 
enough  to  help  pass  the  time  by  hearing  the  stories  that 
were  in  the  Book.  Yet  their  manners  did  not  change 
nor  their  own  stories  become  less  vile. 

At  last  one  night  as  he  lay  upon  his  cot  he  was  awak- 
ened by  a  slight  noise,  and  sitting  up  in  bed,  became 


THE  CONVICT  103 

aware  that  his  companions  were  hard  at  work  upon 
the  bars  of  the  window,  cutting,  cutting,  cutting,  slowly 
but  surely,  with  some  instrument  they  had  made  or 
procured  in  some  way. 

Suddenly  the  noise  stopped:  the  workmen  had  seen 
the  young  man  sitting  up  and  watching  them.  Before 
he  knew  what  was  happening  he  felt  a  blanket  go 
over  his  head  and  his  wrists  were  drawn  down  to  the 
cot  on  either  side.  Half  smothered,  he  struggled  for 
a  time  and  then  lay  still.  Immediately  his  captors 
threw  off  the  blanket,  thinking  that  he  had  become 
unconscious.  Finding  that  he  was  lying  there  with 
both  eyes  wide  open,  one  of  them  thrust  the  end  of  a 
sheet  into  his  mouth  and  crammed  it  tightly  into  place. 

"Wilt  thou  join  us  and  make  thine  escape,  Senhor 
Protestante  ? "  asked  the  leader. 

Horacio  shook  his  head. 

"Thou  wilt  betray  us  then?" 

Their  captive  reflected  for  a  moment  and  again  shook 
his  head.  The  men  looked  from  one  to  another  in- 
credulously. 

"A  likely  story!"  muttered  the  leader.  "Better 
truss  him  and  gag  him!" 

With  that  they  tied  him  hand  and  foot  to  his  cot 
with  strips  cut  from  a  blanket  and,  gagging  him  care- 
fully, returned  to  their  work.  In  an  hour  or  so  the 
bars  gave  way  and  they  all  slipped  through  the  ap- 
erture and  disappeared  in  the  darkness. 

Horacio  looked  longingly  at  the  open  window  and 
then  began  to  turn  and  wriggle  on  his  cot.  Finally 


104  HOBACIO 

he  succeeded  in  drawing  a  hand  loose  from  his  bonds, 
pulled  the  bandage  from  his  face,  and  withdrew  the 
piece  of  sheet  which  had  been  stuffed  into  his  mouth. 
In  another  moment  he  had  his  other  wrist  loose  and, 
sitting  up,  unbound  his  ankles. 

Gathering  together  his  clothes  and  small  possessions, 
he  made  them  into  a  bundle  and,  vaulting  lightly  to 
the  sill,  dropped  to  the  ground  outside  and  made  off 
down  the  street. 

Ah,  sweet  air  of  freedom!  What  a  fool  he  had 
been  to  let  them  shut  him  up  in  that  dreadful  place! 
He  would  shake  the  dust  of  that  ill-omened  town  from 
his  feet  and  choose  another  way.  Suddenly  he  stopped 
short  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  He  was  not  yet  out 
of  the  town,  but  the  streets  were  empty  of  all  save 
the  watch,  who  were  dozing  on  distant  corners,  and 
could  easily  be  avoided  because  of  their  conspicuous 
white  breeches. 

There  came  a  voice  speaking  inside:  "But  Jonah 
rose  up  to  flee  unto  Tarshish,  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord,  and  went  down  to  Joppa,"  and  the  voice 
seemed  to  say  again:  "But  Horacio  rose  up  to  flee 
from  Jahu,  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord." 

Turning  upon  his  heels  he  retraced  his  steps  and 
came  again  to  the  jail.  All  was  quiet  within  and  it 
was  evident  that  the  escape  of  the  prisoners  had  not 
yet  been  discovered,  but  the  window  was  high  above 
his  head  and  he  could  not  reach  up  to  it. 

"Now,"  thought  he,  "I  must  needs  remain  with- 
out, as  I  have  no  way  of  returning.  I  should  look 


THE  CONVICT  105 

like  a  pretty  fool  to  be  found  sitting  here  at  the  door 
in  the  morning." 

Then  he  remembered  that  there  was  a  pile  of  poles 
upon  the  roadside  a  bit  back;  so  he  returned  and 
fetched  one  of  the  poles,  set  it  against  the  jail  be- 
side the  window,  and  up  this  he  climbed  as  he  had 
once  before  climbed  the  cipo  to  be  delivered  from  the 
queixadas.  Then,  having  reached  the  sill  again,  he 
dropped  upon  the  floor  inside  and  lay  down  upon 
his  couch  to  sleep  until  morning,  when  he  was  awak- 
ened by  the  hue  and  cry  that  was  made  over  the  escape 
of  the  prisoners. 

As  this  was  a  somewhat  common  occurrence  no  one 
greatly  wondered,  whereas  all  were  exceedingly  amazed 
that  Horacio  had  not  taken  himself  off  also.  As  for 
the  young  man,  he  had  other  things  to  think  about, 
for  he  presently  discovered,  upon  getting  himself  in 
order,  that  the  six  hundred  milreis  that  he  had  kept  con- 
cealed in  his  clothing  had  gone  with  the  prisoners! 

Alas,  this  was  too  much!  How  could  God  call  him 
and  then  take  away  his  liberty  and  his  means?  But 
to  his  mind  there  came  these  words:  "Commit  thy 
way  unto  the  Lord:  trust  also  in  Him,  and  He  shall 
bring  it  to  pass." 

The  blacksmith  came  and  repaired  the  window  and 
the  cell  soon  filled  with  other  prisoners.  The  days 
went  by  and  Horacio  daily  presented  the  gospel  mes- 
sage to  his  companions,  without  encouragement,  but 
nevertheless  he  spoke  as  he  was  able,  and  studied  the 
Word. 


VI. 

PARDONED ! 

THREE  months  had  now  passed  away,  when  one  day 
the  smiling  face  of  Sor  Jose  appeared  at  the  little 
wicket  in  the  door,  only  to  vanish  again  ere  Horacio 
could  spring  to  his  feet.  The  door  opened  and  a 
soldier  bade  the  young  man  get  his  things  together 
and  come  outside. 

In  a  moment,  hastily  snatching  up  his  belongings 
and  bidding  farewell  to  his  companions,  Horacio  left 
the  cell  where  he  had  passed  so  many  bitter  hours, 
stepped  out  into  the  corridor,  and  was  received  in  the 
warm  embrace  of  his  old  friend,  who  exclaimed  with 
great  joy. 

"Ah,  my  son,  God  has  been  merciful!  I  knew  it 
would  come!" 

"What  has  come,  Sor  Jose?"  asked  the  bewildered 
youth,  looking  at  him  inquiringly,  as  the  old  man  still 
held  him  by  the  hand  and  beamed  on  him  with  his 
kind  old  eyes. 

"Prepare  to  take  leave  of  thy  home  and  friends, 
lad,"  he  said,  with  a  droll  twinkle  in  his  eye  and 
rolling  the  words  in  his  own  peculiar  fashion  over 
his  nearly  toothless  gums.  "Prepare  to  tear  thyself 
away!  I  grieve  to  cause  thee  this  pain,"  chuckling 
at  the  thought;  "but,  in  a  word,  the  President  of  the 

106 


THE  CONVICT  107 

State  hath  sent  thee  this  bit  of  paper,  by  virtue  of 
which  thou  mayest  leave  the  place." 

"How  is  that?"  asked  the  amazed  young  fellow. 
"What  does  Campos  Salles  know  of  me?" 

"I  warrant  he  knows  nothing  but  here  is  his  name 
on  this  paper,  and  that  suffices,"  and  he  thrust  into 
his  hand  a  pardon  on  which  was  inscribed,  "In  con- 
sideration of  meritorious  services  to  the  State."  The 
old  man  laughed  to  see  joy  succeed  astonishment. 

"Tell  me  how  it  was,"  Horacio  demanded  at  length. 
"I  do  not  understand." 

"Nothing  more  simple,"  replied  his  friend.  "Thy 
colonel  interested  himself  in  thy  case  when  he  had 
heard  the  whole  story,  and  laid  it  before  the  President, 
with  this  result." 

' '  Then  my  colonel  has  already  returned  to  his  f  azenda 
at  Sao  Manoel  ? ' ' 

"Nay,  he  has  not  returned." 

"Then  how  knew  he  of  my  troubles?" 

The  old  man  showed  some  confusion  at  this  ques- 
tion, and  Horacio,  noticing  it,  felt  a  shadow  of  a  sus- 
picion flash  across  his  mind. 

' '  Didst  thou  see  my  colonel  in  Sao  Paulo  ? ' ' 

"Why  not?"  replied  the  old  man  uneasily,  but 
with  ill-feigned  indifference.  "I  had  been  wanting  for 
a  long  time  to  run  down  to  the  city  to  see  my  folks 
there." 

Horacio  thought  of  the  railroad  fare  and  the  old 
man's  extreme  poverty.  What  sacrifices  had  he  not 
been  obliged  to  make  to  enable  him  to  make  his  journey ! 


108  HORACIO 

He  put  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  immediately  re- 
membered his  own  condition. 

"Knowest  thou,  old  friend  and  benefactor,"  he  said 
anxiously,  "that  they  have  robbed  me  of  my  six  hun- 
dred milreis?  I  am  clean — clean!"  and  he  pulled  a 
pocket  wrong-side-out  to  make  his  statement  more  real- 
istic. 

Sor  Jose"  shook  his  head  slowly  and  sadly  from  side 
to  side,  then  finally  said,  "Come!  Bring  thy  bundle. 
Knowest  thou  not  that  there  is  a  little  band  of  be- 
lievers in  Jahu?  No?" 

"I  did  not  mingle  with  such  as  they  when  I  was 
here  before,"  replied  Horacio,  half  laughing,  "  and  did 
not  even  know  there  were  such  people." 

"Let  us  take  thy  case  to  the  Reverend  Ribeiro  and 
ask  counsel." 

Gathering  his  bundle  under  his  arm  and  bidding 
farewell  to  the  kindly  guards  at  the  jail,  Horacio  ac- 
companied the  old  man  to  seek  the  house  of  the  min- 
ister. 

The  little  man  stood  in  the  doorway  as  he  received 
them,  and  rubbed  his  hands  and  smiled  and  smiled. 
He  had  already  heard  Horacio 's  story  and  welcomed 
him  right  cordially. 

"Come  in!  Come  in!"  he  called  out  cheerfully,  and 
rubbed  his  hands  and  smiled.  Horacio  felt  like  smiling 
too,  in  spite  of  the  loss  of  his  money,  and  soon  found 
himself  wondering  if  sorrow  could  ever  chase  the  smile 
from  the  little  man's  face  and  bring  tears  instead. 

"Please  to  sit  down  while  I  ask  for  the  coffee!  I  am 


TEE  CONVICT  109 

very  glad  to  see  you.  This  is  my  wife.  Helena,  this 
is  our  young  friend  who  was  in  trouble  about  the 
priest.  Helena  dear,  wilt  thou  have  the  goodness  to 
bring  the  coffee?" 

The  minister's  wife  stepped  from  the  room  to  do 
his  bidding,  and  the  little  man  sat  down,  rubbing  his 
hands  and  smiling. 

"Dear,  dear!  Let  us  see!  It  will  be  well  for  you 
to  leave  Jahu  to-day.  It  is  hardly  safe  to  risk  the 
priest's  forgetting  his  little  grudge,  and  he  has  many 
friends.  Yes,  yes!  It  is  wise  to  go  by  the  Mixto 
and  get  to  Sao  Paulo  to-morrow,  and  then  we  shall 
see  what  can  be  done.  Sor  Jose  says  you  have  mon- 
ey for  your  immediate  needs?"  and  the  little  man 
rubbed  his  hands  and  smiled  inquiringly  at  Horacio. 

A  shade  crossed  the  young  man's  face.  "The  pris- 
oners that  escaped  three  months  ago  robbed  me  of  it 
all.  I  am  clean — clean ! ' '  and  he  smiled  lugubriously. 

The  little  man  answered  his  smile  with  another  which 
held  a  shade  of  gravity,  and  he  rubbed  his  hands  in 
perplexity  as  he  murmured,  "That  is  very  bad,  very 
bad.  So  you  have  nothing?  As  for  me,  I  had  thought 
to  strain  a  point  for  my  own  ticket  and  go  with  you, 
but  the  price  of  two  is  beyond  me,  I  fear.  As  for  Jose 
Capitao,  I  fancy  he  is  as  yourself."  The  old  man  nod- 
ded sadly  in  confirmation. 

"There  is  my  horse!"  exclaimed  Horacio  sudden- 
ly, as  a  memory  of  his  old  friend  shot  through  his 
mind.  "But  then  I  cannot  sell  him.  He  is  like  a 
human  being — old  friend  and  comrade  to  me — and  all 


110  HORACIO 

that  I  have  of  home  now,"  and  a  mist  gathered  be- 
fore his  eyes  at  the  thought. 

"No,  no!"  said  the  little  man,  rubbing  his  hands 
and  smiling,  "we  must  look  about  us.  Let  me  see! 
There  is  Senhor  Baldomero,  but  his  piety  extends  only 
as  far  as  his  purse-strings,  I  fear.  He  is  well  fixed 
and  has  half  a  dozen  houses  which  he  lets;  but  then 
he  gives  less  than  Donna  Margarida,  the  dressmaker, 
although  she  has  nothing.  It  would  not  do  to  ask 
him,  for  we  should  have  our  trouble  for  our  pains. 
Our  little  church  is  poor.  Alas,  they  have  not  yet 
learned  to  give!  When  they  leave  Rome  they  think 
to  themselves,  'There,  now,  we  are  quit  of  the  fees 
and  the  taxes  and  all  the  other  impositions  of  the 
rascally  priests!'  They  have  not  yet  learned  to  ex- 
press love  by  giving.  Perhaps  we  are  slow  to  ask 
them  also,  for  fear  to  alienate  them  by  going  to  them 
for  money,  when  they  should  be  the  ones  to  come  to 
us  to  offer  voluntarily  according  as  the  Lord  has  blessed 
them. 

"Then  there  is  Senhor  Joaquim;  but  his  daughter 
lies  ill  this  long  time  and  he  is  not  able  truly,  though 
his  will  is  good.  Of  the  others  I  know  none  save  Senhor 
Thiago,  and  as  he  has  but  recently  joined  us  I  fear  to 
ask  him." 

Horacio  got  up  and  reached  for  his  hat. 

"Wait,  wait!"  cried  the  minister  hopefully,  "the 
coffee  is  at  the  door.  We  shall  find  a  way  out  of  the 
difficulty  somehow." 

The  young  man  reached  for  the  coffee  and  gulped 


THE  CONVICT  111 

it  as  he  stood  with  his  hat  in  his  hand.  "Wait  for 
me  here,"  he  said;  "I  shall  be  back  in  a  little  mo- 
ment," and  vanished  through  the  door. 

Making  his  way  down  the  street  he  came  at  last  to 
his  old  associate 's  place  of  business,  the  store  of  the 
dealer  who  had  received  his  skins  and  who  was  now 
keeping  his  horse  for  him.  Pushing  his  way  through 
the  group  at  the  counter,  he  plucked  Sor  Francisco 
cautiously  by  the  sleeve  and  drew  him  aside  into  his 
little  office. 

"What  wilt  thou  give  me,  with  Bonito  as  surety, 
for  the  sake  of  old  times?  If  I  redeem  him  not  in 
two  years  he  is  thine,  and  thou  hast  the  use  of  him 
meanwhile  in  exchange  for  the  use  of  thy  money,  which 
I  need  to  get  out  of  town." 

Senhor  Francisco  looked  hard  at  Horacio,  for  he 
did  not  recognize  him  at  first:  then  he  said,  "Why 
didst  thou  not  hide  until  dark  and  then  we  might 
talk  at  leisure?  Now  thou  wilt  have  the  police  at 
thy  heels  ere  thou  canst  get  away.  The  town  is  for 
Father  Joao." 

"What  care  I  for  the  town?  I  have  a  pardon  from 
the  President!  There  is  naught  to  fear  by  day.  But 
I  must  get  away,  as  thou  knowest.  Canst  thou  help 
me?  I  was  stripped  of  what  I  had  by  those  whom  the 
jail  window  pardoned  three  months  ago." 

The  trader  pursed  his  lips  and  thought  a  while. 
Finally  his  features  relaxed  and  he  drew  a  roll  of  bills 
from  his  pocket.  Laying  three  notes  of  fifty  milreis 
upon  the  counter  he  asked,  "Is  it  a  bargain?" 


112  HORACIO 

"I  had  thought  to  have  more.  The  animal  is  none 
of  the  common." 

"Yes,  but  old.  Is  it  not  so?  Thou  hast  had  .him  for 
six  years  and  he  was  more  than  a  colt  then." 

Horacio  gathered  up  the  money.  "Say  that  I  may 
redeem  him  at  any  time,  and  it  is  a  bargain:" 

"Well,  well,  for  old  time's  sake  let  it  go  at  that! 
Good  luck  to  thee!"  and  the  two  gripped  hands  upon  the 
compact.  A  moment  more  and  Horacio  was  hurrying 
back  to  his  friends. 

Entering  the  house,  he  waved  the  notes  before  their 
wondering  eyes  and  bade  them  pack  their  valises.  The 
little  man  smiled  and  rubbed  his  hands  with  satisfaction, 
but  Jose  Capitao  shook  his  head  and  smiled  the  half-sad 
smile  of  disillusion  which  comes  with  age. 

"Thou  wilt  need  more  than  that,"  he  said,  "to  make 
a  preacher.  It  is  but  one  grain  in  the  bin." 

"Not  so,  Sor  Jose,"  replied  Horacio  cheerfully.  "I 
shall  repay  thee  what  thou  hast  spent  on  my  case  already, 
and  thou  shalt  ride  with  us  to  Brotas.  Dost  thou  think 
to  walk  those  twenty  leagues  on  thine  old  legs  while  my 
young  ones  ride?" 

"Tut,  boy!  Though  thou  hast  been  a  soldier,  four 
legs  carried  thy  two,  but  the  old  man  has  run  up  a 
distance-record  which  thou  canst  never  equal.  I  shall 
take  it  easy  and  there  are  friends  along  the  way  who 
will  be  glad  enough  to  entertain  me.  Besides  that  I 
have  books  to  sell !  See,  here,  the  minister  has  arranged 
this  full  sack  for  me  and  it  will  be  quite  a  business  for 
me  on  the  way,  also  there  are  words  to  speak  in  the 


THE  CONVICT  113 

Master's  name.    Fear  not  for  me,  but  get  thyself  ready 
for  to-night's  train." 

'The  little  man  smiled  and  nodded.  "Let  him  be, 
Horacio !"  he  said,  rubbing  his  hands  briskly.  "Let  him 
be !  Keep  your  money  for  books  and  clothing :  you  will 
need  it  all  and  more  beside.  As  for  me,  I  am  bound  for 
Presbytery  and  have  my  ticket-money  laid  by,  so  it  costs 
me  nothing  to  take  your  matters  in  hand  as  well. 

"But  here  is  Helena,  come  to  say  that  breakfast  is 
served.  Have  the  goodness  to  pass  to  the  other  room 
and  share  our  humble  fare.  Vamos  todos!"  and  the 
little  man  smiled  them  out  to  the  hospitable  but  frugal 
midday  meal. 


VII. 
THE  STUDENT. 

THAT  afternoon  they  quietly  slipped  out  of  the  town 
on  the  mixed  train,  leaving  the  old  man  with  smiling, 
tear-stained  face  looking  after  them,  with  his  kind  old 
trembling  hands  crossed  upon  the  knob  of  his  old  cane, 
ere  he  shuffled  with  his  old  feet  along  the  platform  and 
down  the  street  to  fetch  his  pack  and  set  off  on  his 
weary  journey  to  his  distant  home. 

As  for  his  companions,  the  next  day  saw  them  dis- 
embarking from  the  train  in  the  great  capital  and  mak- 
ing their  way  to  the  hospitable  home  of  the  Reverend 
Manoel  Camargo,  where  a  room  was  ready  for  Senhor 
Ribeiro.  A  hurried  word  of  explanation  ensued,  and 
Horacip  was  cordially  welcomed  and  invited  to  share 
it  with  him. 

Welcomed  indeed  he  was  before  the  words  of  explana- 
tion and  introduction,  for  such  is  the  hospitable  custom 
in  Brazil,  which  has  its  inconveniences  occasionally  as 
well  as  its  conveniences,  for  oftentimes  one  may  live  in 
a  family  for  a  fortnight  without  being  able  to  learn 
the  names  and  relations  of  those  who  form  the  home 
circle. 

That  very  day  the  two  ministers  and  their  charge 
went  to  call  upon  Dr.  Street,  the  superintendent  of  the 

114 


THE  STUDENT  115 

American  Schools.  They  could  hear  the  old  man  scold- 
ing about  something  which  did  not  please  him  as  they 
entered. 

"Unpropitious  moment,  Vicente?"  whispered  the  Rev- 
erend Manoel,  nudging  his  companion  and  looking  at 
him  inquiringly.  Before  the  other  could  answer  with 
anything  but  a  smile  and  a  gentle  friction  of  the  hands, 
the  old  man  hurried  them  into  his  presence  with  a  sharp 
query. 

Looking  up  from  a  heap  of  disordered  papers  Dr. 
Street  frowned  welcomingly  at  his  visitors,  and  then 
half  rose  and  extended  a  grudging  hand.  Horacio's 
hopes  began  to  wane;  nevertheless  he  imitated  his  com- 
panions in  accepting  a  chair  in  the  crowded  little  office 
and  the  Reverend  Manoel  broke  the  silence  with  a  ner- 
vous little  ' '  Well,  Doctor,  we  've  brought  you  a  new  pupil 
for  the  superior  course,  the  upper  school." 

The  doctor  frowned  again,  this  time  unmistakably. 
"More  of  your  theological  candidates  with  big  bank  ac- 
counts, I  suppose,"  he  answered,  and  finished  with  a 
grim  smile. 

The  smile,  such  as  it  was,  was  some  encouragement, 
and  the  little  man  smiled  and  rubbed  his  hands  in  re- 
sponse while  the  Reverend  Manoel  went  on: 

"It  is  too  true  that  our  boys  are  not  rich  as  a  rule. 
I  don't  know  why  it  is  that  rich  boys  don't  want  to 
preach  the  gospel,  although,  now  that  I  stop  to  think 
of  it,  I  suppose  it  is  that  old  question  of  the  needle's 
eye  in  another  form." 

"I  suspect  it  is  the  same  the  world  over,"  suggested 


116  HORACIO 

the  doctor  cynically.  "When  you  can't  make  a  living 
in  any  other  way  you  can  go  to  preaching  as  a  last 
resort." 

All  this  was  striking  Horacio  as  something  of  a  revela- 
tion. He  had  given  his  all,  when  he  was  doing  well  in 
a  small  way,  in  order  that  he  might  be  free  to  preach  the 
gospel. 

"Well,  what  does  this  young  man  know?"  went  on 
the  doctor.  "What  preparation  has  he?  How  much 
can  he  pay  each  month?  Who  responds  for  his  char- 
acter?" 

"We  can  easily  respond  for  his  character,  Doctor," 
replied  the  Reverend  Manoel.  "As  to  what  he  knows, 
he  is  here  and  you  can  ask  him.  He  is,  I  think,  un- 
able to  pay  anything  excepting  to  purchase  the  neces- 
sary outfit  of  clothes  and  books,  but  I  am  expecting  that 
the  Presbytery  will  make  some  arrangement  to  assist 
him  to  necessary  clothing  and  books  for  the  rest  of  the 
time,  when  they  have  heard  his  peculiar  story." 

The  doctor  pressed  the  top  of  his  bald  head  with  the 
palm  of  his  hand,  all  the  fingers  spread  out,  and  snorted, 
"This  is  no  charity  school!  We've  got  to  have  money 
or  bust,  I  tell  you!  Here  I  am,  rushed  to  death  and 
breaking  down  with  overwork,  and  on  top  of  that  I 
must  be  sticking  my  own  money  into  this  thing  year  aft- 
er year,  with  no  returns.  Never  expect  to  see  it  again," 
he  added  abruptly. 

Then  he  gathered  breath  and  went  on:  "You  see 
these  papers  on  my  desk?  I  haven't  got  out  my  quar- 
terly report  yet,  although  it  ought  to  have  gone  six  weeks 


THE  STUDENT  117 

ago.  I  can't  take  a  moment  to  talk  with  you  now  about 
any  new  pupils  unless  there  is  money  in  it.  Money  is 
what  we  want!  The  Board  doesn't  even  send  me  the 
money  they  have  collected  in  New  York.  There  is  that 
new  building  I  had  to  put  up  this  year  and  borrow 
money  on  my  own  name  to  do  it.  I  told  you  the  other 
day,  Manoel,  that  this  thing  must  stop.  I  can't  receive 
another  boy!  What  is  it  you  want  for  him  anyhow? 
Board  and  lodging,  books  and  clothes,  tuition  and  cash 
advanced  for  dentist's  bills  and  cigarettes?  Only  this 
and  nothing  more,  eh  ? " 

Horacio  drew  back  his  lips  and  showed  his  gleaming 
teeth  for  the  Doctor  to  see — sound  as  when  they  were 
first  set  in  his  firm  jaws — and  spoke  out  rather  sharply, 
"I  don't  smoke!"  But  this  did  not  quiet  the 
Doctor. 

"Humph!"  grunted  the  doctor,  "so  they  all  pretend." 
Then  he  turned  again  to  the  minister,  while  he  rubbed 
his  palm  with  renewed  vigor  on  his  bald  pate. 

"Do  you  think  I  am  made  of  money?  How  do  you 
suppose  this  school  runs?  Stuff  a  boy  in  one  end,  turn 
a  crank,  pull  him  out  of  the  other,  eh?  All  it  costs  is 
the  crank!"  Then  he  spread  his  hands  out,  Israelitish 
fashion,  palms  up. 

"I  have  no  money,  and  I  can't  get  any  money!  Why, 
there'll  be  a  deficit  of  seventeen  contos  this  semester, 
with  all  I  can  do.  Where  am  I  to  get  it?  Where  am 
I  to  get  it,  can  you  tell  me  ?  No !  You  can  tell  me  how 
to  spend  it,  but  no  one  seems  to  bother  about  the  other 
side.  How  many  charity  pupils  do  you  suppose  I  have 


118  HORACIO 

here  now?  You'd  be  astonished  to  hear.  You  would 
be  astonished,  I  say,  to  hear!" 

The  ministers  could  answer  nothing  to  this  argument 
and  reluctantly  rose  to  go.  Horacio's  heart  was  sub- 
merged in  a  sea  of  hopelessness.  His  companions  be- 
gan their  compliments  for  departure. 

"How  are  you  getting  on  at  Jahu,  Vicente?"  the 
doctor  inquired.  "How  is  that  old  skinflint  Baldomero 
— old  rascal!  I  remember  how — "  and  here  the  doctor 
launched  himself  into  the  relation  of  a  long  and  spicy 
story  which  ended  up  with  a  tremendous  laugh.  His 
guests  remained  standing.  The  Doctor  went  on  with  his 
reminiscences  until  an  hour  had  passed  away  and  his 
guests  had  dropped  back  into  their  chairs,  fascinated  with 
the  wonderful  flow  of  anecdote  and  totally  unable  to 
move  to  take  their  departure.  Presently  the  old  man 
directed  himself  amiably  to  Horacio  and  drew  from  him 
an  outline  of  what  he  had  learned  in  the  army  school. 

"You  will  have  to  work  hard  and  be  tutored  a  little 
in  order  to  keep  up  with  your  classes  here,"  he  said  at 
length,  and  Horacio's  heart  bounded.  "The  classes 
begin  day  after  to-morrow.  Take  this  card  and  Sor 
Camargo  will  take  you  over  to  the  dormitorio  and  intro- 
duce you  to  the  house-master,  who  will  assign  you  a 
place.  Manoel,  I  depend  upon  you  to  see  that  Presby- 
tery does  all  that  is  possible  for  him,  for  my  burdens 
are  very  heavy.  I  don't  know  how  long  I  can  keep  him, 
but  we  shall  see." 

The  three  petitioners  saluted  the  doctor  and  took 
their  departure. 


THE  STUDENT  119 

"This  way,  Horacio,"  said  the  Reverend  Camargo, 
turning  abruptly  to  the  left  and  leading  the  way  along 
a  path  which  ran  down  between  chicken-houses  and 
garden,  between  sweet  potatoes  and  strawberries,  across 
a  bit  of  meadow  where  two  Jerseys  and  a  donkey  were 
grazing,  and  through  a  gate  along  the  football  ground 
to  the  college  buildings. 

Mackenzie  College,  a  massive,  ugly,  rectangular  ed- 
ifice, of  dirty-pinkish  pressed  brick,  stood  on  an  eminence 
overlooking  the  splendid  city,  and,  beyond  the  long 
streets  of  thickly-crowded  houses,  the  valley  of  the  Tiete 
sloped  down  from  the  Serra  do  Mar  to  the  winding 
stream  at  the  bottom.  Jaragua  loomed  up  among  the 
hills,  and  the  visitors  ere  they  turned  in  at  the  door 
caught  a  passing  glimpse  of  its  lofty  crown  through  the 
thick  branches  of  the  bamboos  which  grew  along  the 
campus  walls  and  overhung  the  street. 

The  upper  floors  of  the  building,  fitted  up  as  class- 
rooms, were  used  temporarily  for  dormitories,  and 
already  a  number  of  students  were  arranging  their  few 
possessions  about  the  heads  of  their  beds  and  upon  the 
little  tables  that  stood  there. 

In  the  office  they  found  the  house-master,  busied  with 
preparations  for  the  opening  of  the  term.  He  was  a 
student  of  one  of  the  upper  classes  who  was  working 
his  way  through  college.  The  minister  explained  the 
purpose  of  their  visit  and  presented  Horacio  and  the 
card  on  which  Dr.  Street  had  scratched  a  few  hasty 
words  of  instruction. 

Following  the  house-master,  they  all  ascended  to  the 


120  HORACIO 

top  floor,  where  he  designated  an  iron  bed,  a  hay  mat- 
tress and  a  small  table  and  chair  for  the  new  student. 

"Here  is  where  I  shall  put  you,"  he  said.  "You  can 
send  your  box  when  you  will.  I  shall  be  down-stairs  to 
receive  it.  You  will  need  a  blanket :  the  college  furnishes 
the  rest.  Bring  towels,  however,  and  anything  else  you 
may  be  likely  to  need. ' ' 

They  thanked  him  and  took  their  departure,  pausing 
a  moment  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  splendid  view  from 
the  upper  window  as  they  descended  the  stairs. 

Returning  to  the  city,  Horacio  made  a  few  necessary 
purchases  and,  refusing  the  hospitable  invitation  of  his 
new  friend  to  stop  at  his  home  until  the  opening  of 
school,  returned  to  the  college  with  his  small  bundle  of 
effects  and  found  his  purchases  already  there.  A  small 
box,  or  trunk,  some  clothing  and  bedding  and  a  few  small 
odds  and  ends  made  up  the  list.  Thrusting  his  hand  in- 
to his  pocket,  he  drew  out  the  remains  of  his  capital  and 
spread  the  dirty,  ragged  notes  upon  his  knee  as  he  sat 
upon  the  edge  of  the  bed. 

"Ten  and  ten  are  twenty  and  twenty  are  forty,  and 
here  I  have  six  more  and  some  nickels.  Not  very  much 
to  begin  with!  Well,  a  bad  beginning  may  make  a 
good  ending.  We  shall  see." 

The  bell  rang  for  dinner  and  Horacio  followed  the 
sound  to  the  refectory,  which  was  situated  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  main  building.  Here  half  a  dozen 
students  gathered  at  one  of  the  smaller  tables  with  an 
American  professor  at  one  end  and  the  house-master 
at  the  other.  All  remained  standing  until  grace  was 


THE  STUDENT  121 

said,  when  they  took  their  seats.  In  a  moment  the  soup 
went  around  and  the  conversation  which  had  begun  was 
lost  in  the  sound  of  sucking  from  spoons. 

All  the  students  excepting  Horacio  were  evidently 
either  those  who  had  remained  during  the  holidays  or 
those  who  had  made  an  early  return  for  some  special 
reason,  nevertheless  they  showed  but  little  interest  in  the 
newcomer.  A  plain  but  plentiful  dinner  of  roast  beef, 
rice,  beans  and  another  vegetable  followed  the  soup,  and 
black  coffee  was  the  only  dessert.  After  dinner  the  boys 
gathered  about  Horacio  and  asked  a  few  good-natured 
questions,  with  which  his  initiation  was  complete. 

The  day  of  the  opening  of  the  school  was  always  re- 
served for  the  setting  of  the  lessons  and  the  designation 
of  text-books.  A  group  of  professors  stood  about  the 
office  with  books  and  papers  in  their  hands  and  Dr. 
Street  sat  at  his  desk  writing,  answering  questions,  and 
giving  instructions.  The  electric  bells  rang  and  the  boys 
rushed  to  their  class-rooms. 

Horacio  made  his  way  to  the  First  Year  room  and 
sat  down  at  a  vacant  desk.  Boys  of  all  ages,  from 
thirteen  years  to  twenty-five,  filled  half  the  seats.  No 
more  than  half  the  class  was  present,  as  punctuality 
is  not  a  Brazilian  virtue.  In  a  few  moments  a  half- 
dozen  girls  from  the  Girls'  Building,  in  another  part  of 
the  city,  filed  in  with  their  chaperone  and  took  their 
places. 

Instantly  every  head  was  turned  and  a  buz*  of  low- 
voiced  comment  ran  around  among  the  boys.  "Oh,  see 
Mathilde  and  Emilia!"  "I  never  thought  that  Marga- 


122  EORACIO 

rida  would  get  up  from  below!"  "Oh,  what  beautiful 
eyes  Isabella  has!"  "What  a  beauty  Clara  is!  Um! 
Urn!"  etc. 

The  girls  were  demure  and  seemingly  oblivious,  but 
the  chaperone  flushed  and  looked  sharply  at  the  boys, 
whereat  there  was  a  momentary  lull  in  the  hum  of  voices. 
The  door  opened  with  a  bang  and  the  Doctor  thrust 
his  head  in  and  as  quickly  withdrew  it. 

A  hush  had  instantly  fallen  upon  the  class,  but  the 
hum  began  again  when  the  door  was  shut.  In  another 
moment  the  door  was  reopened  and  the  Doctor  appeared 
with  a  strange  professor,  evidently  a  foreigner. 

"Mr.  Willcox,  boys  and — ah — young  ladies,"  with  a 
dry,  quizzical  smile  toward  the  latter.  "Mr.  Willcox 
will  have  the  classes  in  English.  As  he  has  but  recently 
arrived  and  speaks  no  Portuguese,  I  shall  explain  for 
him  what  books  you  are  expected  to  secure." 

When  he  had  finished  the  Doctor  withdrew  and  con- 
ducted the  new  professor  to  another  class-room,  while 
the  professors  of  French,  Algebra,  Portuguese,  Latin, 
History,  Drawing,  Bookkeeping,  etc.,  followed  in  rapid 
succession,  with  quick  words  of  greeting  and  infor- 
mation. The  Doctor  then  returned  and  dismissed  the 
class,  waiting  while  the  girls  filed  out  and  then  throwing 
the  door  open  for  the  boys. 

Horacio  had  taken  a  careful  note  of  what  was  re- 
quired, and  when  he  had  secured  his  books  from  the 
house-master  he  found  himself  only  the  somewhat  dis- 
mayed possessor  of  the  nickels  which  he  had  so  carefully 
counted  after  making  his  purchases  in  the  city.  That 


THE  STUDENT  123 

evening  he  went  to  the  house  of  the  minister  in  order 
to  bid  farewell  to  his  friend  from  Jahu,  who  was  return- 
ing to  his  home  that  day,  after  the  session  of  Presbytery. 

"Well,  how  goes  it?"  inquired  the  little  man  cordially, 
rubbing  his  hands  and  smiling.  Horacio  smiled  back 
rather  doubtfully,  and  thrust  his  hand  into  his  pocket 
to  draw  forth  the  nickels  which  remained  of  his  capital. 

"Well,  well,  that  is  better  than  being  in  debt!  Pres- 
bytery has  voted  you  thirty  milreis  (about  $7.50)  a 
month,  on  the  condition  that  you  spend  your  vacations 
in  evangelization,  of  which  work  you  will  make  a  careful 
report  to  them." 

A  load  was  lifted  from  the  student's  heart.  The 
amount  was  small  but  it  would  suffice.  He  thanked 
his  friends  warmly  and,  after  a  short  visit  with  them, 
bade  the  little  man  farewell  and  returned  to  the  school 
to  have  a  dig  at  his  books. 

The  days  went  swiftly  for  the  new  student,  and  habits 
of  study,  systematic  thought,  and  attention  came  to 
him  gradually.  He  became  only  slightly  acquainted 
with  the  other  boys  at  first  because  for  him  there  was 
no  time  for  football — strange  and  fascinating  game — nor 
for  any  other  sports  or  recreation.  Splendid  health  and 
iron  nerves  stood  him  in  good  stead,  for  he  must  needs 
distil  from  midnight  oil  the  ointment  for  the  axles  of 
learning.  He  was  ashamed  to  stand  among  the  little 
boys,  who  thought  him  slow. 

He  spoke  to  no  one  of  himself  and  his  past  life.  The 
football  captain  would  have  sought  him  out  had  he 
suspected  his  strength  and  agility,  but  meekness  and 


124  HORACIO 

shabby  clothes  will  bury  a  Grant  or  a  Napoleon,  and 
Horacio  came  and  went  about  his  daily  duties  and  ex- 
cited but  little  comment 

Once,  indeed,  the  pet  clown  of  the  school  marked 
him  for  a  caipira,  or  hayseed,  and  tried  to  use  him  as 
a  butt  for  jokes.  Each  day  at  lunch  Horacio  found  all 
the  bananas  of  his  table  piled  beside  his  plate.  Bananas 
were  bad  at  that  season,  hard  and  coarse,  and  none  of 
the  boys  cared  very  much  for  them.  The  young  man 
was  puzzled  at  this  objectless  bit  of  horse-play  such  as 
boys  delight  in,  but,  although  he  flushed  a  little  at 
sight  of  the  great  heap  of  somewhat  immature  fruit,  he 
said  nothing  and  selected  the  ripest  for  his  lunch,  then 
broke  his  bread  into  his  coffee  and  finished  his  meal. 

Each  day  he  chose  his  fruit  from  about  a  bushel  that 
was  piled  about  his  plate.  Each  day  the  boys  with  mock 
courtesy  collected  and  presented  their  offerings.  Only 
Horacio  ate  bananas  for  a  week  or  so,  and  then  they 
tired  of  their  play  and  let  him  alone. 

After  study-hall,  in  the  evenings,  the  students  smoked 
in  the  dormitories,  and  although  the  rules  against  it 
were  strict  there  were  few  exceptions  to  the  lawbreak- 
ers. Horacio  did  not  smoke  at  all. 

Some  few  days  after  the  opening  of  school  four  of  the 
leaders  were  called  before  the  Dean  and  reprimanded. 
They  all  denied  the  fact,  but  their  denial  was  not  be- 
lieved. That  night  a  council-of-war  was  held  among  the 
boys.  Horacio  was  studying  at  his  little  table  and  gave 
no  heed  to  the  hum  of  voices.  Presently  a  young  man 
who  was  leader  and  spokesman  of  the  dormitory — of  the 


THE  STUDENT  125 

school,  in  fact,  being  a  cousin  of  the  President  of  Brazil 
— Cesario  de  Souza,  touched  him  ceremoniously  on  the 
shoulder  and  beckoned  him  to  the  group. 

Horacia  laid  down  his  books  with  a  sigh  and,  run- 
ning his  fingers  through  his  unkempt  hair,  approached 
the  little  conclave.  De  Souza  struck  an  attitude,  inflat- 
ing his  chest  and  thrusting  the  thumb  of  his  left  hand 
into  the  armhole  of  his  vest,  waving  the  other  hand  in 
what  was  fancied  to  be  a  gracefully  impressive  gesture. 

"Colleague!"  he  began,  "the  honor  of  this  dormi- 
tory has  been  ruthlessly  outraged  and  trodden  under 
foot.  It  is  evident  that  we  have  a  spy  and  telltale 
among  us.  Of  all  of  us  you  are  the  only  one  who  does 
not  smoke  and  disobey  the  rules.  Consequently — ahem ! ' ' 
— with  another  majestic  sweep  of  the  hand — "you  alone 
can  be  suspected  of  this  base  betrayal.  What  have  you 
to  say?" 

"Nothing,"  replied  the  young  man  simply. 

"You  confess  your  guilt?"  cried  the  spokesman, 
amazed,  for  denial  is  expected  in  all  cases,  and  they  were 
planning  to  have  a  little  mock-trial,  with  witnesses  and 
learned  counsel  on  each  side. 

"I  did  not  say  that,"  said  Horacio.  smiling  calmly. 
"I  was  merely  going  to  ask  what  concern  it  is  of  yours." 

A  general  murmur  of  astonishment  was  heard,  here 
and  there,  from  the  boys.  Their  leader  stammered  out 
an  explanation: 

"Why,  esprit  du  corps,  nobility  of  sentiment,  class- 
pride  should  prevent  such  ignoble  and  ungentlemanly 
behavior." 


126  HORACIO 

"Muito  bem!  Muito  bem!  Apoiado!"  came  from  all 
sides. 

Horacio  shrugged  his  shoulders  as  though  he  consid- 
ered it  entirely  useless  to  carry  on  an  argument  where 
such  sentiments  received  cordial  and  unanimous  approv- 
al, and  turned  to  go  back  to  his  work. 

"I  have  no  time  to  give  to  such  nonsense,"  he  said 
briefly. 

A  bomb  could  not  have  caused  greater  consternation. 
The  President's  cousin  flushed  with  anger  and  sprang 
toward  Horacio,  pulling  him  around  again  by  his  sleeve. 
Horacio  colored,  but  turned  to  meet  him.  De  Souza 
was  white  with  wrath  and  stammered  out,  "We  are  not 
through  with  you  yet,  Senhor  Hayseed !  As  for  myself, 
it  matters  nothing.  My  physician  has  told  Dr.  Street 
that  I  must  be  permitted  to  smoke,  and  I  have  his  per- 
mission, but  I  speak  for  my  fellows.  We  want  no  sneaks 
here!" 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?"  asked  Horacio. 
He  was  very  quiet  and  his  quietness  deceived  the  boys. 

"Do?  Do?"  stammered  De  Souza,  for  he  had  not 
thought  about  that.  "You  will  find  out  soon  enough. 
Sneak!" 

"Look  here !"  said  Horacio,  who  was  tired  of  the  affair 
and  anxious  to  go  back  to  his  studying.  "You  fellows 
go  at  this  thing  your  own  way  and  no  doubt  it  is  a  very 
good  way,  but  if  you  want  to  call  me  ugly  names  you 
will  have  to  prove  facts  or  eat  words.  See?  As  for 
you,  Senhor  de  Souza,  I'll  let  you  off  this  time  on  con- 
dition you  go  slow  in  the  future." 


THE  STUDENT  127 

The  young  man  turned  his  back  contemptuously  and 
started  for  his  books.  This  coolness  and  contempt  were 
too  much  for  the  student-athlete  and  leader.  Reach- 
ing forward,  he  caught  Horacio  by  the  collar  and  pulled 
him  backward,  expecting  to  bring  him  ignominiously  to 
the  floor.  To  his  surprise  Horacio 's  body  was  stiff  and 
resisting  under  his  hand.  Like  a  flash  the  country  boy 
turned  and  caught  his  assailant  by  collar  and  handsome 
scarf,  raising  him  from  the  floor  and  shaking  him  like  a 
rat  with  both  hands;  then,  setting  him  down  hard  on  a 
wooden  chair,  he  said  without  quickening  a  breath,  ' '  You 
sit  there  and — think!"  and  then  he  laughed  a  good, 
frank,  hearty,  open  laugh.  "Now,  fellows,  I  don't  like 
your  smoking.  It  isn't  right  and,  if  I  were  asked,  I 
should  tell  what  you  are  doing;  but  I  am  no  sneak  and 
tattletale,  and  I  tell  you  that  once  and  for  all.  Never- 
theless I  think  I  can  tell  you  how  the  Doctor  found  out 
about  the  matter.  Manoel,  look  behind  your  trunk! 
Joao,  look  behind  yours!  Pedro — ah!  you  don't  need  to 
look:  you  know  what  is  there!  Why  should  any  one 
be  accused  of  talebearing  with  all  those  cigarette  stumps 
for  the  house-master  to  see?" 

The  boys  looked  at  one  another  sheepishly,  while  De 
Souza  sat  still  upon  his  chair  and  looked  dazed. 

Horacio  turned  his  back  for  the  third  time  and  soon 
lost  himself  in  his  books.  The  next  day  the  football 
captain  asked  him  to  join  the  eleven,  but  he  declined. 

Three  months  after  the  opening  of  school  Mr.  Wilcox, 
having  learned  a  few  sentences  of  Portuguese,  was  made 
house-master  of  the  building.  This  was  a  grand  lark 


128  HORACIO 

for  the  boys.  The  new  professor  was  a  little  man  and 
very  lady-like.  He  also  suffered  greatly  from  home- 
sickness, and  wept  often  when  he  went  to  call  upon  the 
American  teachers  down  at  the  girls'  school.  His  mod- 
esty hung  out  a  never-failing  red  flag  at  the  slightest 
call. 

One  night  Horacio  was  returning  from  his  monthly 
call  at  the  Minister's  to  receive  his  allowance  from  Pres- 
bytery. Entering  the  school  building,  all  seemed  strange- 
ly quiet  below,  but  from  above  came  a  distant  sound 
of  dancing  and  laughter.  The  young  man  wondered 
that  Mr.  Willcox  was  not  about,  but  slowly  mounted  the 
stairs  on  his  way  to  his  room.  The  noise  grew  in  volume 
as  he  ascended,  and  at  last  only  the  dormitory  doors 
stood  between  him  and  pandemonium.  Slowly  he  turned 
the  knob  and  entered.  No  one  noticed  his  quiet  appear- 
ance on  the  scene,  so  he  paused  for  a  moment  and  gazed 
upon  a  group  which  carried  his  memory  back  to  the 
days  when  the  bugres  were  his  nearest  neighbors. 

There,  in  the  center  of  the  floor,  stood  little  Mr. 
Willcox,  suffused  with  blushes,  while  about  him,  chant- 
ing a  dismal  measure,  danced  the  inhabitants  of  all  the 
dormitories,  joining  hand  with  hand,  and  boasting  no 
other  raiment  than  that  which  nature  had  given  them. 
Horacio  appreciated  the  situation  and  the  suffering  of 
the  little  house-master  at  a  glance,  and  at  the  same 
moment  that  he  grasped  the  meaning  of  the  perform- 
ance he  also  grasped  a  pitcher  of  cold  water  and,  with- 
out a  word  of  warning,  threw  the  entire  contents  over 
the  nude  young  scamps. 


THE  STUDENT  129 

A  howl  of  dismay  arose  and  the  circle  broke  and 
fled.  At  first  they  thought  it  was  the  Doctor  who  had 
come  upon  them,  but  when  they  saw  who  it  was  there 
was  an  attempt  for  a  moment  to  contest  the  ground. 
Pulling  a  slat  from  one  of  the  beds,  Horacio  herded 
them  out  of  the  dormitory,  and,  gathering  up  the  night- 
clothes  of  those  who  belonged  in  his  room,  he  flung 
them  out  after  them  into  the  hall,  bidding  them  put 
them  on  before  they  attempted  to  return.  A  remem- 
brance of  the  strength  of  his  arm  brought  them  dis- 
cretion, and  laughter  took  the  place  of  anger  as  they 
hastily  scrambled  into  their  garments. 

Poor  Mr.  Willcox,  meanwhile,  sat  upon  a  chair  with 
his  head  bowed  upon  the  table,  and  as  Horacio  could 
speak  no  English  and  he  no  Portuguese,  he  could  find 
no  way  to  comfort  him. 

A  knock  came  at  the  door,  in  which  Horacio  had 
turned  the  key.  He  stepped  forward  and  opened  it, 
laughing  as  he  saw  the  long  string  of  night-robed  boys 
waiting  to  enter.  The  boys  laughed  too. 
>  "Now,  fellows,"  said  the  young  man  persuasively 
"Meestare  Veelcox  is  very  badly  hurt.  I  think  you 
ought  to  do  the  fair  thing.  Don't  you  think  so?  Here, 
Guilherme,  you  speak  English,  come  and  interpret! 
Meestare  Veelcox!"  he  called  to  the  mortified  and  dis- 
comfited house-master. 

Mr.  Willcox  lifted  his  head  and  Horacio  beckoned. 
The  little  professor  came  toward  him  and  Guilherme 
advanced  shamefacedly  from  the  group  of  students. 

"Mr.  Willcox,"  said  the  interpreter,  "the  boys  want 


130  HORACIO 

to  say  that  they  are  sorry  and  hope  that  you  won't  say 
anything  to  the  Doctor." 

This  last  was  a  stroke  of  diplomacy,  but  the  house- 
master's face  immediately  cleared  and  brightened. 

"Oh,  of  course  not,"  he  said  eagerly,  "unless  he  asks 
me  about  it,  for  he  may  hear  of  it  in  some  other  way. 
But  I  do  hope  you  boys  will  be  a  little  more  orderly! 
I  cannot  talk  to  you  in  your  language  or  it  would  be 
easier  for  all  of  us." 

Guilherme  interpreted,  and  one  by  one  the  boys  stepped 
up  and  shook  hands,  mumbling  sheepishly  all  sorts 
of  apologies,  which  only  Horacio's  presence  kept  from 
being  ridiculous  in  their  tenor,  for  the  students  would 
often  take  advantage  of  a  teacher's  lack  of  knowledge  of 
the  language  to  solemnly  get  off  all  sorts  of  absurdities 
or  even  obscenities  in  order  to  divert  their  comrades, 
all  of  which  the  teacher  must  perforce  accept  as  proper 
replies  until  familiar  with  all  the  intricate,  idiomatic 
turns  and  twists  of  the  language. 

This  ceremony  finished,  Mr.  "Willcox  went  down  the 
stairs  to  his  own  room  and  Horacio  turned  to  his  studies. 

Six  months  of  school  life  soon  passed  away,  and  by 
dint  of  the  hardest  labor  and  the  most  earnest  applica- 
tion the  young  student  made  up  the  studies  in  which 
he  stood  behind  his  class,  and  made  such  further  prog- 
ress, with  the  aid  of  Mr.  Willcox,  who  laid  out  for  him 
special  reading  and  gave  him  night  classes,  that  at  the 
beginning  of  the  second  semester  he  was  able  to  take 
his  place  among  the  students  of  the  Second  Year.  Math- 
ematics had  been  his  bete  noir.  History,  Latin  and 


THE  STUDENT  131 

French  were  play  for  him,  as  they  are  for  all  Brazilian 
boys,  and  in  the  English  his  new  friends  had  given  him 
a  substantial  lift. 

Life  had  now  become  less  of  a  continual  drudgery 
to  him  and  he  was  able  to  give  time  to  football  and 
also  to  aid  the  Keverend  ManoePs  church.  With  the 
beginning  of  the  new  semester  he  took  up  the  study 
of  physics  and  chemistry  with  his  class.  Their  pro- 
fessor in  these  branches  was  a  much-bedoctered  but  very 
eccentric  American,  well  liked  and  equally  well  tor- 
mented by  the  boys.  Horacio  found  it  almost  impos- 
sible to  contain  himself  at  sight  of  the  daily  affronts 
offered  him  by  the  young  scamps. 

"Manoel!"  the  teacher  would  say,  "what  is  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  air-pump?" 

" Manoel!"  all  the  students  would  demand,  in  con- 
cert,  and  imitating  the  peculiar  Portuguese  of  their 
instructor,  "what  is  the  principle  of  the  air-pump?" 

"Boys,  he  does  not  need  our  assistance!"  cries  the 
Franklin. 

"Boys,  he  does  not  need  our  assistance!"  cries  the 
class  in  unison.  "Everybody  be  silent!"  With  looks 
of  ludicrously  exaggerated  reproof  each  boy  gazes  in- 
nocently about  him  at  his  comrades. 

Silence  for  a  moment  and  the  teacher  tries  to  30 
on.  "Manoel.  what  is  the  principle  of  the  air-pump?" 

"The  principle  of  the  air-pump  is — "  choruses  the 
class  in  a  disorderly  clamor. 

"Manoel!  Manoel,  I  said,"  interposes  Mr.  Franklin 
nervously. 


132  HOBACIO 

"Manoel,  he  said!  Manoel!  Only  Manoel!"  comes 
from  all  sides,  and  then  a  great  wad  of  filter-paper 
sails  over  the  heads  of  the  class  and  alights  upon  the 
teacher's  desk,  just  missing  his  nose  in  its  descent. 
Boys  leave  their  places  and  walk  about  the  room  on 
a  pretence  of  making  sundry  experiments,  and  bang 
the  apparatus  noisily  on  the  tables. 

Horacio  did  what  serious  work  he  could,  but  felt 
that  his  progress  in  these  studies  was  slow. 

Mr.  Franklin,  whose  specialty  was  botany,  had  planted 
an  experimental  garden,  with  rows  of  seeds  of  various 
sorts,  in  a  patch  of  ground  which  the  Doctor  had  ceded 
to  him  for  the  purpose. 

One  day  Horacio  passed  that  way  and  noticed  the 
long  rows  of  little  sticks  with  names  of  the  various 
plants.  Others  had  noticed  it  also,  and  planned  to 
assist  nature  in  giving  the  botanist  a  fine  crop.  That 
night  a  deputation  of  boys  skirmished  about  the  dor- 
mitories with  a  big  basket,  and  then  visited  the  oth- 
er dormitory  where  the  ninety  small  boys  of  the  lower 
school  lived. 

The  next  morning,  as  Horacio  went  to  take  his  cof- 
fee in  the  refectory,  a  strange  sight  met  his  eyes.  On 
the  little  botanical  sticks  were  perched  hundreds  of  old 
shoes  with  their  toes  pointing  in  the  same  direction, 
each  little  stick  being  provided  with  its  own  individual 
shoe.  A  group  of  boys,  convulsed  with  laughter,  gath- 
ered about  the  wonderful  garden. 

"Hush,  boys!  Here  comes  Meestare  Frankleen," 
cried  one,  as  the  fat  little  professor  came  waddling 


THE  STUDENT  133 

along  toward  the  refectory.  The  group  became  silent 
for  a  moment,  but  as  Mr.  Franklin  approached  one 
of  them,  who  was  a  little  more  audacious  that  the  rest, 
sidled  forward  and  greeted  him. 

"Oh,  Meestare  Frankleen,"  he  inquired  innocently, 
"what  strange  plants  are  these  which  you  have  set 
out  here?" 

The  Professor  of  Botany  and  many  other  things 
gazed  in  astonishment  at  the  strange  freak  of  nature; 
then,  as  the  truth  burst  upon  him,  a  feeble  grin  flick- 
ered about  his  mouth  and  he  shambled  away  in  haste 
to  get  his  coffee,  leaving  the  crop  to  be  garnered  by 
the  janitor. 

Thus  the  year  ran  on  and  Horacio  made  steady  prog- 
ress. When  the  summer  vacation  began,  in  December, 
with  the  consent  of  the  minister  he  accepted  employ- 
ment in  the  city  and  gave  all  his  spare  time  to  study 
and  mission  work.  We  cannot  follow  him  through  his 
school  life,  but  must  look  forward  to  the  end  of  his 
second  year,  when,  on  taking  his  examinations,  he  re- 
ceived the  diploma  which  would  enable  him  to  enter 
the  Seminary  and  begin  his  theological  course. 


VIII. 
THE  COLPOETER. 

HORACIO  was  hoping  to  be  able  to  take  the  three 
years  at  the  Seminary  in  two,  by  working  hard  day  and 
night  as  he  had  done  throughout  his  preparatory,  and, 
light  of  heart,  he  said  good-by  to  his  comrades  and 
started  upon  a  long  trip  into  the  interior  to  sell  Bibles 
and  other  good  books  and  do  such  humble  preaching  of 
the  gospel  as  he  might  be  able. 

Biding  second-class  on  the  train  as  far  as  Sao  Manoel, 
he  found  his  faithful  Bonito,  who  had  been  loaned 
him  for  the  journey  by  Sor  Francisco  and  had 
been  sent  to  Sao  Manoel  in  response  to  a  letter  from 
the  young  man.  Signs  of  age  had  begun  to  manifest 
themselves  in  the  sturdy  beast,  but  to  Horacio's  joy 
he  gave  every  evidence  of  recognizing  his  old  mas- 
ter, and  whinnied  and  caressed  the  young  man  as  he 
flung  his  arms  about  his  neck. 

The  next  day  Horacio  set  out  upon  his  journey, 
with  saddle-bags  well  stuffed  with  books,  and  turned 
Bonita's  head  once  more  toward  the  sertao.  At  every 
ranch  and  house  along  the  way  the  colporter  paused 
to  display  his  wares.  The  Bibles,  furnished  by  the 
Bible  Society  at  much  less  than  cost,  were  very  attract- 
ive, in  leather  and  gold,  with  metal  clasps;  and  the 

134 


TEE  COLPORTER  135 

young  man's  ancient  experience  as  a  merchant  came 
in  play  again  to  gain  him  a  hearing  and  a  sale  for  his 
books. 

As  night  fell  he  found  himself  following  between 
interminable  barbed-wire  fences  with  endless  coffee  on 
either  hand,  and  at  last  came  to  the  fazenda-house  of 
some  rich  proprietor.  Although  he  would  have  pre- 
ferred a  humbler  dwelling  there  seemed  to  be  no  choice, 
and  so  he  turned  his  horse's  head  toward  the  house 
and  rode  up  the  long  avenue,  between  beds  of  flowers, 
fountains  and  long  rows  of  orange-trees  laden  with 
their  golden  fruit  and  fragrant  blossoms. 

An  almost  palatial  mansion  met  his  eyes  at  last,  and 
as  he  approached  the  building  and  clapped  his  hands 
to  attract  attention,  the  bookkeeper  came  from  his  of- 
fice on  the  lower  floor  and  inquired  what  he  would 
have. 

The  young  man  explained  that  he  was  traveling  and 
selling  books  and,  as  night  had  overtaken  him,  would 
like  to  have  a  bed  and  food  for  himself  and  feed  for 
his  horse. 

The  bookkeeper  courteously  bade  him  dismount  and 
he  would  call  the  manager,  who,  upon  hearing  what 
the  stranger  had  to  say,  ascended  to  the  principal 
floor  and  consulted  with  the  owner,  an  elderly  Brazil- 
ian lady  who  was  reputed  to  be  the  wealthiest  person 
in  the  whole  country. 

Horacio  already  knew  her  palatial  home  in  Sao  Paulo 
by  sight  and  was  somewhat  taken  aback  at  thought 
of  thus  thrusting  himself  upon  her  hospitality;  but 


136  HORACIO 

the  manager  came  down  in  a  moment  and  bade  him 
enter,  while  he  called  a  servant  to  take  his  horse  to  the 
stable. 

The  old  lady  greeted  him  pleasantly  upon  the  up- 
per veranda  and  sent  a  servant  with  him  to  a  small 
room  at  the  back  of  the  house,  bidding  him  haste,  as 
dinner  was  about  to  be  served. 

Horacio  made  his  way  somewhat  awkwardly  across 
the  gleaming  marble  floors,  and  after  a  wash,  in  which 
part  of  the  red  dust  came  off  in  the  soap-and-water 
and  a  more  than  equal  amount  on  the  handsome  towels, 
came  forth  to  seat  himself  at  the  great  table,  covered 
with  fine  linen,  porcelain  and  glittering  silver. 

A  number  of  guests  sat  at  the  table  and  also  the 
manager  and  his  daughter,  who  acted  as  the  personal 
attendant  of  the  old  lady.  The  blazing  gaslights,  nu- 
merous well-trained  servants  gliding  noiselessly  about, 
and  the  play  of  badinage  and  repartee,  all  combined 
to  cause  the  young  man  to  shrink  into  himself.  His 
hostess  raised  her  tortoise-shell  lorgnette  to  discover 
if  he  were  well  served.  Horacio  winced  and  almost 
dodged. 

"You  have  no  wine,  young  man!  Maria,  fill  his 
glass!" 

"Thank  you,  but  I  do  not  take  it,"  replied  Horacio 
nervously. 

"Ah!  Perhaps  you  will  have  beer?  Maria,  open 
a  bottle  and  set  it  there!" 

"Thank  you!  I  do  not  take  anything  save  water," 
protested  the  young  man,  much  embarrassed. 


TEE  COLPORTER  137 

"Here  is  sweet  wine,"  insisted  his  hostess,  with  a 
look  of  ill-concealed  astonishment.  "I  do  not  know 
what  it  is,  Oporto,  or  Madeira.  Maria,  set  the  decant- 
er near  him!" 

The  terrible  lorgnette  turned  away  before  Horacio 
could  stammer  out  a  word  of  refusal,  and  he  had  to 
let  the  glass  which  the  servant  had  filled  stand  by  his 
plate  untouched.  He  was  too  timid  to  ask  for  water 
now,  although  very  thirsty  from  his  hot  and  dusty  ride. 

His  hostess  had  lowered  her  lorgnette  and  joined 
in  the  conversation  with  a  bit  of  spicy  gossip.  A  rip- 
ple of  laughter  greeted  the  old  lady's  sally.  Horacio 
had  heard  such  stories,  in  grosser  language,  at  the  camp- 
fire  and  in  the  barracks. 

The  plates  were  deftly  removed  as  soon  as  emptied, 
or  even  whenever  the  knives  and  forks  were  accident- 
ally laid  side-by-side  upon  them  for  a  moment.  Each 
time  that  a  fresh  plate,  knife  and  fork  were  set  before 
him  he  perceived  with  a  little  start  of  surprise  that  the 
meal  was  not  finished,  as  he  had  supposed.  He  also  no- 
ticed for  the  first  time  that  the  guests  here  did  not 
put  their  knives  in  their  mouths.  In  the  school  this 
had  not  been  brought  to  his  attention,  although  he  had 
learned  the  use  of  a  napkin  there. 

From  time  to  time  the  old  lady  paused  in  her  con- 
versation and  directed  her  lorgnette  at  his  plate,  plun- 
ging him  into  momentary  panic.  At  last  the  dessert 
came  upon  the  table.  Horacio  was  fond  of  "doce" 
and  quickly  emptied  his  plate.  Again  the  terrible  lor- 
gnette ! 


138  HORACIO 

"Will  you  not  have  more?"  she  asked. 

''Obliged!"  replied  Horacio  hesitatingly. 

"Obliged,  yes,  or  obliged,  no?"  queried  Donna  Vir- 
ginia. "Ah,  you  say  nothing!  Then  it  is  obliged, 
yes — is  it  not?  Carlos,  pass  his  plate  to  me!"  Horacio 
smiled  and  made  no  resistance. 

Shallow  glasses  with  long  stems  stood  near  each  plate, 
and  the  colporter  had  been  wondering  what  could  be 
their  object.  A  yellow  liquid  was  now  poured  into  them, 
and  as  it  bubbled  and  sparkled  all  of  them  raised  their 
glasses  and  saluted  one  another  about  the  table,  sipping 
from  their  glasses  and  clinking  them  together  before 
putting  them  to  their  lips.  This  was  a  novelty,  and 
cold  beads  of  perspiration  stood  out  on  the  young  man's 
brow  as  he  noticed  that  the  eyes  of  all  were  fixed  upon 
him. 

Again  the  glasses  were  raised  and  the  salutations  ran 
around.  A  gentleman  waved  his  glass  toward  Horacio, 
muttered  a  polite  phrase,  and  waited.  All  eyes  were 
now  again  turned  toward  the  colporter  in  amused  ex- 
pectancy. 

"Do  you  not  accept?"  asked  the  gentleman  of  Horacio. 

The  young  man  seized  a  glass  of  water  that  stood 
at  his  neighbor's  place  and  drank  so  hurriedly  that  some 
of  it  spilled  and  ran  down  his  chin.  The  younger  mem- 
bers of  the  family  snickered  audibly  and  their  elders 
could  not  altogether  restrain  their  amusement,  but  there- 
after they  let  him  alone.  Presently  the  old  lady  asked 
him  whither  he  would  be  going. 

"I  am  on  my  way  to  the  sertao,"  he  replied,  "and 


THE  COLPOETER  139 

in  two  days  I  hope  to  be  in  the  forest.  I  am  selling 
books. ' ' 

"Books!  What  kind  of  books?  Will  you  show  them 
to  us  after  dinner?  Perhaps  we  may  buy  some." 

"With  pleasure,"  answered  the  colporter,  "but  they 
are  Protestant  books.  I  have  many  nice  Bibles.  It  is 
the  translation  of  Padre  Figueiredo,  approved  by  the 
Queen  of  Portugal  and  the  Archbishop  of  Lisbon." 

"Ah!"  said  Donna  Virginia,  smiling,  "we  entertain 
everybody  here.  One  day  it  is  a  priest  and  the  next 
it  is  a  heretic.  I  am  glad  to  see  that  your  hands  are 
clean,  young  man!  The  priests  do  not  always  have 
clean  hands.  Oh,  I  do  wish  our  padres  would  keep 
themselves  clean ! ' ' 

"Mother!"  exclaimed  a  matronly  daughter  'depre- 
catingly. 

"No,  no,  don't  *  mother'  me!  It  does  seem  to  me 
that  priests  ought  to  be  clean  though  all  the  world 
beside  be  soiled.  There  was  Padre  Antonio,  who  stopped 
here  the  other  day.  His  hands  were  dreadful,  and 
his  linen — oh,  it  was  a  sight,  I  do  assure  you.  He  ate 
with  his  knife  and  murdered  his  Portuguese. 

"No,  I  don't  like  that  kind  of  priests  any  better  than 
I  like  heretics — begging  your  pardon,  young  man! — 
for  I  presume  you  are  a  heretic  if  you  sell  Protestant 
books.  What  do  heretics  believe  anyway?  I  have  al- 
ways had  a  great  curiosity  to  know." 

Horacio  flushed  at  finding  himself  the  center  of  at- 
tention again,  but  answered  valiantly,  "We  believe  in 
the  Bible.  We  believe  that  all  men  are  sinners  and 


140  HOBACIO 

can  by  no  possibility  enter  heaven  through  their  own 
virtues  or  by  any  other  means  save  the  death  of  Jesus 
Christ.  We  believe  that  He  died  that  we,  by  repentance 
and  belief,  might  be  saved.  That  is  all.  We  do  not 
believe  in  the  traditions  of  the  Church  of  Home  nor  in 
the  worship  of  the  Saints  and  the  Virgin." 

"Santa  Maria!  He  has  his  creed  on  his  tongue's 
end,"  laughed  Donna  Virginia,  "and  yet  it  is  not  bad, 
what  he  says.  I  do  not  know  why  the  priests  should 
make  such  a  fuss  about  it — " 

"Mamae!"  interrupted  a  young  granddaughter,  ap- 
pealing to  the  matronly  lady  who  had  tried  to  restrain 
Donna  Virginia  a  moment  before,  "mamae!  Eponina 
wanted  to  get  married  to  Joaozinha  to-day. ' ' 

"What!"  exclaimed  several  in  chorus,  "she  is  only 
eleven,  and  he  can't  be  more  than  fourteen." 

"That  is  what  Padre  Joaquim  said,"  continued  the 
little  miss  demurely.  "He  opened  her  dress  at  the  neck 
and  told  her  to  go  home  and  wait  a  year. ' ' 

"Cruz  e  credo!  There,  that  will  do!  You  are  too 
young  to  be  concerned  about  such  matters,"  exclaimed 
her  mother  with  embarrassment. 

"I  saw  something  funny  the  other  day,"  interposed 
one  of  the  gentlemen  hastily,  to  create  a  diversion.  "I 
was  going  up  to  Sao  Raphael  and  we  had  to  stop  for 
a  couple  of  hours  at  Cordeiros  for  the  other  train.  There 
was  a  group  of  Italians  hanging  about  a  house  that  was 
being  built  across  the  way.  Presently  we  heard  a  great 
fussing  and  chattering  over  there  and  so  we  all  went 
across  to  investigate. 


TEE  COLPORTEB  141 

"We  found  a  fellow  stamping  around,  wringing  his 
hands  and  weeping — yes,  crying  like  a  great  child — 
kicking  the  loose  bricks  and  mortar  with  his  toe  and 
staring  at  the  ground." 

"What  was  the  matter?     Was  he  crazy?"  asked 
one  of  the  ladies,  as  he  paused  for  an  instant. 

"Crazy!  Not  much,  as  you  will  see!  I  asked  what 
the  trouble  was.  It  seems  that  the  fellow  had  always 
kept  a  twenty-franc  gold-piece  to  remind  himself  of 
home,  and  somehow  or  other  he  had  lost  it  in  the  rub- 
bish. 

"'Oh,  San  Genaro!'  he  was  wailing.  'Oh,  San 
Genaro!  Giva  me  ma  twenty  liri  back  again!'  and 
all  the  time  he  was  kicking  the  bricks  and  mortar  around 
and  wringing  his  hands.  Presently  he  stopped  and  put 
his  hands  together  like  a  child  in  prayer,  and  said,  '  Oh, 
San  Genaro,  giva  me  ma  vinti  liri  and  I  giva  thee  one 
for  thine  altar.  Coma  now,  good  Saint!  seeka  the  gold 
for  me ! ' 

"He  looked  about  on  the  ground  but  did  not  find 
the  money.  Then  he  tore  his  hair  and  wept  some  more, 
but  by-and-by  he  stopped  and  prayed  again :  '  Oh,  coma 
now,  San  Genaro,  seeka  me  ma  leetle  piec,a  monnee,  ma 
one  lettle  pieqa  monnee!  I  giva  due  liri!'  Again  he 
looked  on  the  ground,  with  the  same  success  as  before, 
and  so  he  went  on,  wheedling  the  Saint  and  gradually 
increasing  his  bids  until  he  had  promised  the  whole 
piece  for  its  restoration." 

"Que  engragado!  And  he  found  it  then,  of  course?" 
queried  Donna  Virginia  incredulously. 


14*  HORACIO 

"You  may  laugh  all  you  want,  tia  mine,"  replied 
the  young  man  with  a  smile,  "but  the  actual  fact  is 
that  the  poor  fellow  had  no  sooner  promised  the  en- 
tire gold-piece  than  he  kicked  it  out  of  the  ground 
where  he  had  been  trampling  it  all  the  while." 

"I  don't  see  why  not,"  murmured  one  of  the  young 
ladies;  "he  was  probably  sincere  in  appealing  to  the 
Saint." 

"Wait  until  you  hear  the  rest,  cousin,"  laughed  the 
narrator.  "Well,  then,  when  he  got  the  coin  between 
his  thumb  and  forefinger  you  ought  to  have  seen  the 
play  of  emotions  on  his  face!  First,  I  think  it  was 
incredulity  mingled  with  awe,  which  slowly  faded  into 
a  sly  leer  of  cupidity  and  craft.  'Ah,  ha!'  he  cried, 
addresing  the  Saint,  'San  Genaro,  you  old  rogue!  So 
you  thoughts  to  put  up  a  jobba  on  me!  Corpo  di 
Baccho!  You  coma  getta  the  monnee!  I  giva  to  you 
when  you  coma  getta.  Addio ! '  and  the  sly  rascal  thrust 
the  coin  into  his  pocket  and  made  off  down  the  road 
as  if  he  expected  the  Saint  to  take  after  him." 

A  roar  of  laughter  went  up  from  the  table,  but  Horacio 
noticed  that  the  young  ladies  looked  frightened. 

"What  happened  to  the  man  then?"  suddenly  asked 
the  young  lady  who  had  spoken  before  and  whose 
interest  had  been  intense,  turning  an  eager,  naive 
face  toward  her  cousin.  A  second  shout  of  laughter 
greeted  her  query,  and  in  great  confusion  she  retired 
behind  the  epergne  and  a  deep  blush.  Her  mother  came 
to  her  rescue. 

"There,  never  mind,  Paulina!     They  ought  not  to 


THE  COLPORTEB  143 

laugh.  'Tis  only  a  case  of  'beads  in  the  hand  and  the 
devil  in  the  heart.'  Why,  only  the  other  day  I  heard 
of  a  similar  case.  Donna  Ernestina  Franco  lost  her 
comb  and  prayed  to  the  Saint  to  find  it,  and  shortly 
afterward  she  found  it  just  where  she  had  looked 
a  moment  before.  Well !  She  laughed  and  said,  '  Pooh ! 
If  I  'd  looked  sharper  the  first  time  I  should  have  found 
it.'  The  very  next  day  she  lost  it  again  and — never — 
found— it!" 

"Cruz  e  credo!"  exclaimed  Donna  Paulina,  jump- 
ing up  a  wee  bit  in  her  seat  and  provoking  another 
laugh  at  her  expense. 

Coffee  having  been  served,  a  company  of  musicians 
selected  from  the  Italian  laborers  on  the  great  plan- 
tation struck  up  a  schottische  in  the  music-room  be- 
neath. The  company  adjourned  to  the  large  sitting- 
room  and  Donna  Virginia  bade  Horacio  show  them  his 
books. 

A  servant  went  to  fetch  the  saddle-bags,  and,  in  the 
hush  between  two  pieces  of  music  from  the  band,  a 
sound  of  distant  singing  came  from  the  direction  of  the 
village  or  colony. 

The  young  people  rushed  to  the  door,  and  all  went 
out  upon  the  veranda  to  see  what  was  going  on. 

Far  off  across  the  lake  a  long  train  of  flickering  candles 
bobbed  in  a  wavering  line  down  the  village  street,  to 
the  accompaniment  of  a  weird  and  mystic  chant  which 
rose  and  fell  in  charming  harmony,  to  which  the  dis- 
tance lent  a  most  enchanting  effect. 

For  a  moment  the  procession  paused  at  the  chapel, 


144  HORACIO 

then  turned  toward  the  house  and  came  down  upon 
the  long  causeway,  across  which  the  little  points  of 
light  fluttered  ever  nearer  and  nearer. 

Donna  Virginia  called  the  manager,  as  soon  as  she 
saw  that  the  procession  was  turning  toward  them,  and 
bade  him  illuminate  the  front  of  the  building.  In  a 
few  moments  the  brilliant  acetylene  gas-lights  flared  out 
at  numerous  points  over  the  doors  and  at  the  angles  of 
the  mansion,  and  slowly  the  procession  swayed  toward 
them  across  the  long  causeway.  The  young  ladies  were 
in  an  ecstasy  of  delight,  and  to  the  most  indifferent 
there  could  not  fail  to  be  a  certain  charm.  At  the 
great  black  cross  in  the  garden  it  paused  again,  and 
by  the  wavering  candlelight  Horacio  read  the  white 
letters  upon  it,  "O  crux,  ave  spes  unica  nostra." 

The  weird  chant  came  ever  nearer  and  nearer,  and 
now  the  persons  gathered  upon  the  veranda  could  make 
out  the  litter  with  the  image  of  the  Virgin,  borne  upon 
the  shoulders  of  four  maidens  at  the  head  of  the  pro- 
cession. Upon  arriving  in  front  of  the  house  they 
paused  again  and  finished  their  song,  then  all  cried  to- 
gether, "Viva  Donna  Virginia!"  and  passed  on  again 
along  the  driveway  toward  the  village. 

The  band  now  played  another  selection,  and  Horacio 
spread  his  books  upon  the  table  while  all  gathered  around 
to  see  them. 

"Is  this  the  Bible?"  queried  Donna  Paulina,  touch- 
ing a  handsome  volume  gingerly  with  the  tip  of  her 
dainty  finger. 

"Yes,  that  is  the  complete  Bible,"  replied  the  col- 


THE  COLPORTER  145 

porter,  holding  it  out  toward  her.  The  young  lady 
drew  her  hands  behind  her  and  shuddered  slightly, 
turning  away.  Some  of  the  others,  however,  turned 
its  leaves  with  ill-constrained  curiosity. 

"What  is  this  copy  worth?"  asked  Donna  Virginia, 
lifting  a  large  Bible,  in  limp  morocco,  which  she  had 
been  examining. 

"It  is  worth  a  fortune,  senhora,  but  I  sell  it  for  four 
milreis. ' ' 

"Four  milreis!"  cried  the  lady  in  astonishment;  "you 
cannot  mean  this  one.  Why,  that  is  giving  it  away!" 

"The  gospel  ought  to  be  free,  senhora,"  replied 
Horacio.  "These  books  are  sold  at  less  than  cost  to 
the  publisher  in  order  that  all  may  have  the  privilege 
of  buying  and  reading." 

"I  shall  take  this  one,"  she  said,  smiling,  for  she 
was  not  too  rich  to  be  pleased  at  the  thought  of  get- 
ting a  bargain,  then  added,  as  if  in  excuse  for  her  action, 
"I  want  to  tease  Padre  Joaquim  a  bit" 

One  of  the  gentlemen  purchased  one  also,  and  then 
Horacio  put  his  books  away. 

The  next  morning  he  continued  his  journey,  after 
a  delightfully  cold  shower-bath.  He  was  too  much  of 
a  Brazilian  not  to  know  better  than  to  offer  any  com- 
pensation other  than  his  most  cordial  thanks  for  the 
hospitable  entertainment  which  he  had  received,  and 
Donna  Virginia  gave  him  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand 
and  hospitably  bade  him  visit  her  again  whenever  he 
might  pass  that  way. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  he  ate  his  breakfast  at  the 


146  HORACIO 

humbler  dwelling  of  a  small  farmer  where  he  had  paused 
to  sell  some  books,  and  there  he  urged  the  acceptance 
of  remuneration  for  the  meal,  but  the  kindly  caboclo 
would  not  accept  a  vintem.  That  night  he  approached 
an  extensive  and  well-kept  fazenda  and  rode  up  to  the 
door  to  ask  hospitality.  A  large,  dark-featured  man 
came  to  the  door,  in  response  to  the  clapping  of  his 
hands,  and  bade  him  dismount  and  enter  before  he 
would  even  listen  to  what  he  had  to  say. 

Horacio  finally  managed  to  make  his  wants  known 
and  the  man  shook  him  cordially  by  the  hand. 

"Come  in!  Come  in!"  he  cried  heartily,  drawing 
him  toward  the  door.  "Never  mind  about  your  horse! 
Joao,  come  here  and  get  the  gentleman's  horse!  I 
suspect  you  are  one  of  those  fellows  from  Sao  Paulo, 
from  the  American  School.  The  old  man  is  here  to- 
night, but  that  don't  make  no  difference.  He  won't 
care.  He  likes  to  have  a  chat  with  any  one  that  win 
talk  with  him,  and  we  have  plenty  of  room  for  you  in 
the  house." 

"The  old  man?"  said  Horacio  interrogatively. 

"Why,  yes,  his  Reverence,  to  be  sure.  Didn't  you 
know  that  this  place  belongs  to  Padre  Malachias,  Canon 
of  the  See?  You  know  the  Church  of  the  See,  there 
in  the  Largo  da  Se  in  Sao  Paulo?  Haven't  you  ever 
seen  the  old  man  there  in  the  city?" 

"Yes,  yes,  of  course.  I  remember  now,  but  I  was 
not  expecting  to  find  him  away  up  here  in  the  edge  of 
the  sertao." 

"Well,  here  he  is!     This  fazenda  is  his  by  inherit- 


THE  COLPOBTER  147 

ance;  he  didn't  get  it  out  of  the  poor — jolly  old  beggar! 
He'll  never  get  much  that  way.  His  living  costs  him 
a  pretty  penny  all  the  time,  and  if  it  were  not  for  this 
fazenda  he  would  not  be  Canon  of  the  See.  I'd  hate  to 
know  what  it  cost  him  in  the  first  place ;  it  would  make 
me  feel  too  bad ;  but  if  the  old  chap  sticks  to  it,  and  the 
price  of  coffee  stays  up,  he  may  come  to  be  a  bishop 
by  the  time  his  tonsure  has  spread  all  over  his  noddle 
and  his  back  is  bent  double. 

"But  come  inside!  Here  I  am  keeping  you  stand- 
ing all  this  time,  talking  your  head  off;  but  then,  you 
see,  there  are  not  many  come  this  way  and  I  am  as 
bad  as  his  Reverence  to  enjoy  a  crack  with  them." 

Hardly  understanding  the  cordiality  of  his  welcome, 
Horacio  followed  the  man,  whom  he  rightly  assumed 
to  be  the  administrator,  or  manager,  of  the  fazenda, 
into  an  inner  room,  where  he  pointed  out  to  him  a  small 
iron  bed  and  toilet  articles,  and  bade  him  make  him- 
self at  home,  as  dinner  would  soon  be  ready. 

At  the  table  he  was  presented  to  the  priest,  a  jovial- 
looking  old  man,  portly  and  blear-eyed,  somewhat  broken 
with  age,  but  full  of  life  and  interest  in  the  things  of 
life.  The  administrator's  wife  and  three  young  girls, 
his  daughters,  made  up  the  number  of  those  who  took 
their  seats  at  the  table,  and  Horacib  seemed  to  see  some- 
thing familiar  in  the  faces  of  all,  something  which  he 
was  entirely  unable  to  explain. 

"You  c-c-oome  from  Sao  P-p-paulo,  young  man?" 
mumbled  Father  Malachais,  with  a  half  stutter  pecul- 
iar to  him. 


H3  HORACIO 

"Yes,  Senhor  Padre,"  replied  Horacio,  dreading  the 
next  question;  for  he  was  not  at  all  sure  that  even 
the  sacred  privileges  of  hospitality  were  sufficient  to 
assure  him  of  respect  were  the  nature  of  his  business  to 
become  known. 

"Y-y-you  mushed-mushed-must  have  seen  me  there 
some  t-t-time,  young  man,  b-b-but  I  d-d-don 't  remember 
you,"  went  on  the  old  gentleman. 

"I  remember  you  very  well,  Senhor  Padre.  I  used 
to  belong  to  the  Batahao  de  Nossa  Senhora  do  Car- 
mo,  in  barracks  at  Sao  Paulo  for  two  years,  and  I 
have  seen  you  many  times  in  the  Church  of  the  See. 
I  have  also  seen  you  many  times  on  the  street,  but 
of  course  you  would  not  remember  me,"  and  Horacio 
laughed  at  the  thought  of  it. 

"No,  no.  Just  so,  but  my  m-m-memory  is  pretty  good, 
isn't  it,  Zacharias?" 

"Splendid!"  asserted  the  administrator,  laughing, 
''but  I'll  wager  you  ten  milreis,  Senhor  Padre,  that  you 
can't  remember  a  thing  that  you  never  knew." 

The  old  man  chuckled.  "I  c-c-can  remember  a  whole 
lot  of  th-th-things  that  you  n-n-never  knew  I  knew 
at  any  rate,"  and  he  looked  sharply  at  his  employe, 
who  blushed  without  exactly  knowing  why. 

"M-malachias  and  Zacharias!  Zacharias  and  M-mal- 
achias!  It's  easy  enough  to  m-make  p-p-poetry  out  in 
the  roc.a.  I  always  had  a  t-t-turn  for  the  arts,  Zacha- 
rias, you  knew  that?" 

"Yes,  your  Reverence,  to  be  sure.  Your  Reverence 
could  paint  a  portrait  of  yourself  so  realistic  that  all  the 


TEE  COLPORTER  149 

women-folks  about  the  house  were  continually  dropping 
down  upon  their  knees  to  get  its  blessing." 

The  priest  looked  hard  at  his  old  retainer  to  see  if 
he  might  detect  the  least  sign  of  insincerity  in  his  face, 
but  Zacharias  was  as  solemn  as  a  tombstone. 

"Where  is  that  p-picture  I  p-painted  when  I  was  a 
lad,  Zacharias?  It  used  to  hang  in  the  sala." 

"It  is  there  now,  Senhor  Padre;  you  can  see  it  after 
dinner. ' ' 

"Young  man,"  resumed  the  priest,  after  mumbling 
his  food  in  silence  for  a  few  moments,  "are  you  an 
engineer?"  and  then,  without  waiting  for  a  reply,  he 
went  on,  "because  I  have  a  very  important  coal-mine 
here  on  the  fazenda.  I  discovered  it  myself." 

"I  am  afraid,  Senhor  Padre,  that  you  must  be  mis- 
taken about  the  mine,"  interrupted  Sor  Zacharias.  "I 
have  hunted  everywhere  since  you  were  here  the  last 
time,  and  I  can't  find  a  trace  of  it." 

" Mif-mif-mistaken,  am  I?"  said  the  old  man  testily. 
"Lots  you  know  about  it!  You  always  want  to  make 
an  issue  with  me  on  scientific  questions — you,  who  are 
a  person  of  no  education  whatever." 

"That  is  true,  Senhor  Padre,  but  this  time  I  think 
you  are  mistaken." 

"Of  course!  Just  so!  That  is  the  way  every  time. 
There  was  that  hole  I  had  you  dig,  as  you  very  well 
know,  where  the  kerosene  ran  in  on  the  water  that 
gathered.  Legitimate  kerosene,  young  man,"  he  con- 
tinued, turning  to  Horacio  as  if  in  disgust  and  impa- 
tience at  Zacharias'  incredulity,  "pure  and  legitimate 


150  EORACIO 

kerosene,  young  man!  You  are  an  engineer,  you  said! 
Not  Oh,  you  are  not  an  engineer!  Well,  my  nephew 
is  an  engineer — graduated  at  the  Polytechnic  at  Rio — 
and  he  says  that  wherever  there  is  keresone  there  you  are 
sure  to  find  coal.  So  I  have  a  very  important  coal-mine 
somewhere  on  the  property." 

The  administrator  grunted  dubiously,  and  then  made 
haste  to  press  upon  the  priest  a  favorite  sweet,  as  the 
old  man  turned  on  him  angrily.  Padre  Malachias  took 
the  "doce,"  but  resumed  the  argument  with  an  imme- 
diate demand  to  know  why  his  statement  should  be 
doubted. 

"Well,  for  just  this  reason,  Senhor  Padre.  There 
was  one  of  those  fellows  here  the  other  day  that  be- 
long to  the  State  Bureau  of  what-do-you-call-ems — jel- 
logists  ? — j  ollogists,  eh  ?  " 

"Geologists?"  suggested  Horacio. 

"Yes,  that's  it!  jollogists.  Well,  he  said  that  the 
kerosene  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  coal :  that  idea 
is  all  played  out.  So  I  took  him  down  to  the  hole 
there  behind  the  house  and  showed  him  that  shiny 
scum  on  the  water,  and  he  said  it  was  nothing  but 
iron-rust  and  that  I  could  find  it  anywhere  in  this  State. 
Sure  enough,  I've  been  looking  out  for  it  ever  since 
and  I  see  it  everywhere.  I  wouldn't  give  that  for  your 
old  coal-mine,"  and  he  snapped  his  fingers  contemptu- 
ously. 

Father  Malachias  choked  to  get  out  what  he  had  to 
say  in  reply,  but  finally  gave  it  up  and  accepted  a  cup 
of  coffee.  "I've  g-g-got  a  m-m-arble  mine,  anyway," 


TEE  COLPORTEB  151 

he  muttered  sulkily  to  himself,  as  the  coffee  ran  down 
his  trembling  chin.  "I  know  I  have  a  m-m-marble 
mine,  for  this  hill  b-b-back  here  on  my  p-p-place 
b-belongs  to  the  same  system  of  hills  as — " 

" Stick  to  coffee,  Father  Malachias!  Stick  to  coffee!" 
cried  Zacharias  cheerfully;  "the  crop  is  extra  good  this 
year. ' ' 

The  old  man  was  easily  led  to  drop  the  subject  of 
his  mines  and  take  up  that  of  his  beloved  coffee-trees, 
and  to  this  he  stuck  until  they  left  the  room  and  went 
to  the  sala. 

Here  the  old  man  was  again  reminded  of  his  work 
of  art  and  took  up  a  position  before  the  huge  oil-painting 
of  himself  as  a  young  man  which  he  had  made  before 
a  mirror  when  he  was  in  the  flush  of  his  early  vigor. 
Cocking  his  head  languishingly  on  one  side  he  gazed 
idolatrously  at  the  portrait. 

"I  was  a  fine-looking  young  m-m-man,  Zacharias," 
he  said  pensively,  "a  fine-looking  young  m-m-man  in 
every  respect.  You  remember  me,  Zacharias,  how  I 
was  then?  Tell  our  young  friend  how  you  remember 
me." 

"Remember  you,  your  Reverence!  How  old  were 
you  then?"  responded  the  administrator  with  a  mis- 
chievous grin. 

"Let  me  see,  I  was  thirty,  Zacharias,  and  a  fine-look- 
ing young  fellow.  You  remember  me?" 

"How  old  are  you  now,  Senhor  Padre?"  inquired 
the  younger  man,  without  replying  directly  to  the  priest's 
question. 


152  HORACIO 

"How  old  am  I  n-n-now?  "Well,  I'm  seventy-five — 
seventy-five  years  old!" 

"Well,  I'm  forty,  Senhor  Padre,  so  that  picture  was 
painted  five  years  before  I  was  born,  and  I  can't  re- 
member exactly  how  you  looked  at  that  time.  Did  your 
Reverence  have  a  bad  toothache  when  it  was  painted 
or  what  is  it  that  makes  that  lopsided  bulge  on  the 
jaw  there?  and  one  eye  is  looking  one  way  and  the 
other  is  busy  about  something  else.  They  must  have 
fed  you  badly  too,  for  it  looks  as  ghastly  as  a  corpse. 
No,  I  can 't  say  that  I  think  you  were  very  good-looking. 
I  suspect  that  is  where  your  Reverence  got  your  repu- 
tation for  sanctity." 

The  old  man  smiled  an  indulgent  smile  and  dropped 
into  an  easy-chair.  "Where  is  your  b-boy,  Zacharias? 
Is  he  at  school  still  in  the  same  place?" 

"Yes,  your  Reverence,  he  is  still  at  the  American 
School,  in  the  city." 

"The  American  School!"  exclaimed  Horacio  in  great 
surprise;  "then  I  must  know  him.  What  is  his  name?" 

"His  name  is  Alvaro  Silveiras.  He  is  in  the  upper 
course." 

"Oh,  then,  I  know  him  very  well.  He  is  a  splendid 
fellow." 

The  administrator's  face  beamed  with  pleasure,  but 
he  answered  modestly.  "We  think  a  heap  of  him  here. 
So  you  are  from  the  school  also?  How  is  the  boy?" 

"He  is  well,"  Horacio  replied,  but  Father  Malachiai 
interrupted  him:  "It  b-b-beats  me  how  these  P-p-pro- 
testants  can  t-teach  a  boy  how  to  g-g-get  ahead  in  the 


TEE  COLPORTEB  153 

world!  There  is  no  use  in  t-t-talkmg!  Ave  Maria!  I 
wish  our  p-p-people  could  get  onto  their  t-tricks.  But 
you  d-d-don 't  send  your  girl  to  them  ?  The  heretics  have 
not  g-g-got  a  hold  on  you,  my  d-d-dear  ? ' '  and  he  turned 
to  the  eldest  girl,  who  sat  silently  in  a  corner  of  the 
room.  She  laughed  and  shook  her  head. 

"No,  no!"  her  father  answered  for  her,  "it's  a  bar- 
gain between  the  wife  and  me:  she  goes  to  the  Sacred 
Heart,  but  the  boys  have  to  know  something,  so  they 
go  to  the  American  School,  or  at  least  Alvaro  goes  now 
and  the  other  will  when  he  is  big  enough." 

"And  what  are  you  d-d-doing  so  far  from  Sao 
P-p-paulo,  young  m-man  ? ' '  asked  the  priest,  and  Horacio 
decided  to  answer  frankly  and  take  the  consequences, 
so  he  spoke  out  boldly,  "I  am  selling  Bibles  and  other 
good  books  during  my  vacation."  Horacio  feared  the 
effect  of  his  answer. 

The  old  man  laughed.  "Humph!"  he  said,  "I  won- 
der what  the  B-b-bishop  would  say  if  he  knew  I  was 
entertaining  B-b-bible-sellers  ?  Well,  I  suppose  it  is  a 
b-business  like  any  other,  and,  after  all,  I  don't  know 
what  harm  the  b-book  ever  d-d-did  except  to  set  some 
of  us  p-priests  by  the  ears.  Alice,  can't  you  g-g-give  us 
a  little  m-m-music,  or  haven't  the  Sisters  d-d-done  their 
d-duty  by  you?" 

"Come,  Alice,  jerk  your  repertory,"  said  her  father, 
to  forestall  any  bashfulness,  dragging  the  stool  to  the 
piano  and  pulling  down  her  music  for  her.  "She  isn't 
half  bad,"  he  explained  proudly,  "when  she  knows  a 
thing,  but  when  you  catch  her  on  something  she  hasn't 


154  HORACIO 

learned,  there's  more  different  kinds  of  snarled-up  noise 
in  a  minute  than  yon  could  unravel  in  a  week." 

Horacio  had  heaved  a  long  sigh  of  relief  at  the  easy 
way  in  which  the  old  priest  took  the  knowledge  of  his 
occupation,  and  now  he  leaned  back  comfortably  in  his 
chair  and  enjoyed  the  really  excellent  music  which  the 
young  girl  furnished. 

The  next  morning  he  took  leave  of  them  all  with 
cordial  expressions  of  good-will  on  both  sides. 


IX. 

ALFREDO. 

FOLDED  neatly  in  the  inside  pocket  of  his  coat  was 
Horacio's  first  sermon!  Whatever  prejudices  the  other 
boys  might  have  against  written  addresses,  he  was  de- 
termined to  confine  himself  to  notes  until  he  could  learn 
to  confine  himself  to  his  subject  and  not  go  wandering 
off  into  a  maze  of  meaningless  words.  In  an  informal 
talk  it  seemed  to  him  that  it  might  be  well  for  a  lad  to 
speak  without  them,  but  in  a  more  pretentious  address 
he  did  not  as  yet  feel  like  deserting  them. 

His  first  sermon  was  to  be  preached  at  a  little  chapel 
at  Bella  Vista,  whither  he  had  been  sent  with  a  letter 
to  an  elder  who  dwelt  hard  by.  This  little  congregation 
was  the  most  numerous  and  important  of  all  the  little 
groups  of  believers  in  the  edge  of  the  great  sertao.  The 
minister  at  Lengoes  had  a  general  oversight  of  the 
church,  which  comprised  some  forty  members,  and  at 
rare  intervals  he  filled  the  pulpit  on  his  itinerations 
through  the  wilderness.  At  other  times  he  managed  oc- 
casionally to  send  some  one  to  give  them  the  Word,  but 
the  chief  portion  of  the  time  they  must  needs  shift  for 
themselves  and  make  the  neighborhood  prayer-meeting 
take  the  place  of  a  regular  service. 

The  bricks  of  the  little  chapel  had  been  moulded 

155 


156  HOBACIO 

and  burnt  and  the  building  itself  had  been  erected  by 
the  church  members'  own  hands,  and  it  was  located 
near  the  center  of  a  little  glade  in  the  forest.  Only  the 
house  of  a  small  farmer  who  acted  as  caretaker,  or 
sexton,  stood  near  by,  the  remaining  members  of  the 
congregation  being  scattered  upon  small  holdings  lying 
near  and  far  in  every  direction. 

Horacio  bore  a  letter  from  the  pastor  to  the  Resident 
Elder,  as  has  been  said,  and  on  Saturday  afternoon  he 
found  himself  approaching  the  place.  The  road  led 
up  and  down  across  creeks  and  over  ridges  and  finally 
through  a  heavy  bit  of  timber  to  the  colony  of  Sor 
Joao  Ribeiro. 

This  group  of  ramshackle,  tumble-down,  thatched 
houses,  piled  together  without  regard  for  the  road  that 
ran  through  it,  with  wallowing  and  squealing  pigs  and 
fluttering  hens  in  animated  confusion,  was  the  outlier 
of  civilization.  Beyond  the  little  colony  the  whole  val- 
ley showed  signs  of  recent  cultivation. 

There  was  a  lack  of  finish  to  the  fields  and  to  the 
stumps  and  trunks  which  plentifully  bestrewed  them: 
there  was  a  lack  of  finish  to  the  coffee-trees  that  grew 
among  the  corn:  a  lack  of  finish  to  the  houses,  to  the 
fences  and  even  to  the  pig-pens  and  the  pigs  themselves : 
a  lack  of  finish  to  the  road,  where  the  snubby  trunks 
and  roots  still  protruded  and  tripped  the  horses  or  jolted 
the  carts:  in  short,  worthy  Sor  Joao  Ribeiro  was  "form- 
ing" his  fazenda,  and  hence  money  was  short  although 
food  might  be  abundant,  and  anything  in  the  way  of 
luxury  or  style  must  wait  for  better  times. 


ALFREDO  157 

Down  across  a  bit  of  meadow  the  tiled  roof  of  a 
very  unpretentious  plantation-house  showed  itself  against 
the  dark  green  of  the  creek-bottom.  Near  by,  the  thud, 
thud,  thud,  at  intervals,  of  an  industrious  monjolo  al- 
ternated the  splash  of  its  emptying  water.  A  little 
farther  on,  down  by  the  creekside,  a  combined  saw  and 
grist-mill  showed  the  enterprise  of  the  owner,  and  far 
beyond,  against  the  uprising,  dark  line  of  the  forest,  a 
wee  bit  of  a  building,  scarce  seen  in  the  distance,  would 
upon  closer  inspection  prove  to  be  the  district-school; 
which  also  owed  its  life  to  the  public  spirit  of  Sor 
Joao,  who  was  a  member  of  the  distant  Municipal  Coun- 
cil. 

As  Horacio  drew  rein  before  the  fazenda-house  the 
door  emptied  forth  a  group  of  men  and  a  clear  voice 
called  across  the  dooryard,  "Ah,  colleague!  good  day! 
How  have  you  passed?" 

Surprised  at  the  salutation  and  yet  half  recognizing 
the  owner  of  the  vibrant  voice  as  one  of  his  schoolmates 
whom  he  would  least  care  to  see,  he  looked  harder  at 
the  group  and  presently  found  his  suspicions  verified, 
as  a  tall  lad  of  unusually  pleasing  appearance  detached 
himself  from  them  and  sauntered  nonchalantly  toward 
him. 

"Ah,  Horacio,  an  embrace!"  he  murmured  ere  Sor 
Joao  could  cry,  "Dismount!  Dismount!" 

Horacio  was  obliged  to  return  Alfredo's  oppressively 
warm  and  friendly  embrace  before  he  could  give  his 
hand  to  Sor  Joao  and  fumble  for  his  letter  of  intro- 
duction. 


158  HORACIO 

"So  this  is  one  of  your  colleagues,  come  to  hear  you 
preach,  I  hope,  Sor  Alfredo  ? ' '  said  the  hospitable  f  azen- 
deiro.  l '  Here !  just  give  me  your  horse 's  rein  and  go  in- 
side." 

The  hand  which  held  the  letter  of  introduction  let 
it  slip  back  into  his  pocket  and  then  dropped  to  his 
side.  He  glanced  at  Alfredo  with  a  puzzled  expression 
on  his  face. 

"Come  inside,"  said  the  latter  with  a  gravely  pat- 
ronizing air,  as  he  drew  his  arm  through  his. 

Horacio  followed  his  companion  wonderingly  and  was 
presented  to  the  group  at  the  door — sons  and  nephews 
of  the  fazendeiro,  a  friendly  colporter  and  the  district- 
school  teacher,  who  was  also  an  authority  in  literature, 
science  and  the  arts  by  virtue  of  his  once  having  taken 
six  lessons  in  Algebra.  Horacio  piled  his  equipage  in  a 
corner  and  sat  down  upon  a  bench. 

"So  glad  you  came  along,"  remarked  Alfredo  amiably 
as  he  dropped  into  a  place  beside  him.  "Do  you  know, 
I  was  feeling  very  lonesome.  They  want  me  to  preach 
for  them  on  Sunday  morning,  so  I  hope  you  will  share 
the  pulpit  with  me." 

Horacio  almost  thought  he  could  hear  the  leaves  of 
the  sermon  in  his  pocket  rustle  with  indignation,  but 
he  was  too  proud  to  make  a  contention  for  the  place. 
After  all,  it  was  probably  a  misunderstanding  and  a 
conflict  of  territory.  Why  should  not  Alfredo  speak  T 
he  was  first  on  the  ground.  But  was  there  any  neces- 
sity for  him  to  remain  and  listen?  Yes,  he  must  re- 
main, as  the  morrow  was  Sunday.  The  women  were 


ALFREDO  159 

already  laying  the  coarse  cloth  when  Sor  Joao  returned 
to  the  house  from  the  stables. 

"You  must  pardon  the  intrusion,  Sor  Joao,"  said 
Horacio,  rising,  and  determined  now  not  to  make  use 
of  his  letter  of  introduction.  "I  very  much  fear  you 
are  crowded." 

"Capaz!  Just  you  make  yourself  at  home.  There's 
always  room  for  one  more  here.  We  are  right  glad 
to  see  you.  Sit  down,  sit  down!  We  are  luckier  than 
we  deserve.  The  Reverend  Gentil  wrote  that  one  of 
you  young  men  would  be  along,  but  we  thought  that 
we  should  be  disappointed  until  Sor  Alfredo  came,  and 
now  we  have  you  as  well.  Let  me  see,  what  is  your 
grace  ? ' ' 

" Horacio  de  Castro,  your  servant,  sir,"  replied  the 
younger  man. 

"Well,  Sor  Horacio,  we  can  have  two  sermons  to- 
morrow. Sor  Alfredo  can  preach  in  the  morning  and 
you  can  preach  in  the  evening.  How  will  that  suit 
you?" 

"That  will  do  very  well,"  replied  Horacio,  grimac- 
ing inwardly. 

"But  come  and  sit  down!  Dinner  is  on  the  table. 
Come,  everybody,  and  sit  around ! ' ' 

The  young  men  crowded  at  once  to  the  table,  for 
among  the  middle  classes  of  Brazil  the  women  eat  in 
the  kitchen. 

The  head  of  the  house  bowed  his  head  and  mum- 
bled a  long  and  nearly  inaudible  blessing.  In  his  lap 
he  held  his  youngest  child,  a  little  girl  a  year  and  a 


160  HORACIO 

half  old,  who  fed  from  his  plate  and  wiped  her  grease- 
daubed  fingers  on  his  beard. 

The  food  was  abundant  and  palatable — chicken,  veget- 
ables and  eggs,  with  coffee  and  milk  to  finish.  In  honor 
of  their  guests  all  were  on  their  best  behavior  as  to 
manner,  and  Sor  Joao  must  needs  rebuke  the  pedagogue 
for  scraping  his  plate  on  the  floor  for  the  benefit  of  the 
dogs  that  lay  under  the  table  and  scratched  for  fleas, 
because  the  crunching  of  the  bones  was  annoying  during 
polite  discourse. 

"Take  that  fork  out  of  your  mouth  and  eat  with 
your  knife  like  a  Frenchman!  "Who  taught  you  man- 
ners?" he  cried  to  his  youngest  son.  "One  would  think 
you  didn't  know  anything  just  because  you  live  in  the 
roc,a.  It's  terrible  what  disgusting  tricks  some  people 
do  have,"  he  continued  with  a  sigh  of  pity.  "That 
reminds  me  how  I  come  to  be  a  believer.  Leastways 
that  wasn't  all  they  was  to  it,  but  that  was  what  set 
me  a  thinkin'.  " 

He  stripped  a  drum-stick  with  his  strong  teeth  and 
went  on  between  bites:  "  'Twas  over  to  Campinas,  where 
I  used  to  live  then.  There's  a  famous  church  near  by, 
you  know,  the  Penha,  where  lots  of  folks  go  to  get  healed 
and  to  gamble  during  the  season.  Judging  from  the 
number  of  wax  figgers  there  is  a-hangin'  up  in  the  end 
of  the  church,  I  should  think  Our  Lady  would  be  too 
busy  with  her  healin'  to  tend  to  the  gamblin',  but  it 
seems  she  finds  time  for  both. 

"Well,  I  was  over  there  one  day  when  I  was  still 
in  darkness — still  in  Rome,  you  know — and  what  do 


ALFREDO  161 

you  think  I  saw?  Why,  there  was  two  women  come 
in  there,  and  a  man  with  'em — more  shame  to  him! 
for  you  might  overlook  it  in  a  woman,  as  their  feelin's 
is  more  delicate  and  sensitive,  they  say." 

He  made  a  wry  face  and  a  digression  to  see  that 
everybody  had  a  full  plate. 

"Well,  one  of  these  women  had  made  some  sort  of  a 
vow,  or  else  they  both  had — like  as  not  if  there  should 
be  an  heir  in  the  family  or  something  of  that  sort — 
and  the  two  of  them  got  down  on  their  knees  at  one 
end  of  that  church  and  stuck  out  their  tongues  and 
licked  that  dirty  floor  from  end  to  end  three  times — 
thirty  meters  each  way,  at  least — leaving  a  long  wet 
streak  behind  'em,  and  always  careful  to  work  toward 
the  altar  so  as  not  to  hurt  God's  feelin's  by  turnin'  their 
backs  to  Him.  'If  this  is  piety,'  says  I  to  myself,  says 
I,  'I'm  goin'  to  be  a  heathen!'  and  I  lit  out  of  there  on 
the  run,  and  the  first  man  I  met  on  the  street  hollered 
after  me  and  sold  me  a  Bible.  I  think  he  was  waitin' 
there  outside  that  place  just  to  pick  up  such  backsliders 
from  Romanism  as  me." 

Dinner  being  finished,  the  host  handed  a  large,  heavy 
Bible  with  gilt  clasps  to  Horacio  and  laid  a  pile  of  hymn- 
books  on  the  table. 

"You  can  read  us  a  chapter  and  make  us  a  little  talk 
on  it,"  he  suggested. 

Horacio  took  the  book  and  selected  a  Psalm  at  ran- 
dom, after  which  he  explained  what  he  thought  David 
meant  by  it.  His  audience  seemed  better  satisfied  than 
he  did,  and  he  turned  with  relief  to  the  little  hymn- 


162  EORACIO 

book  and  gave  out  a  familiar  number.  Here  he  was 
in  his  element,  and  sang  with  such  good-will  and  mel- 
ody that  they  caught  the  spirit  of  the  hymn,  which 
was  entirely  new  to  all  excepting  Alfredo,  and  before 
he  had  reached  the  third  stanza  not  a  single  voice  was 
silent. 

One  song  followed  another  until  a  dozen  had  been 
sung,  and  two  hours  had  vanished  like  an  instant;  then 
he  called  on  Alfredo  to  offer  prayer. 

A  moment  later  steaming  pots  of  coffee,  boiled  with 
milk,  and  platters  piled  high  with  crisp  fried-mush 
sprinkled  with  brown  sugar,  were  set  on  the  table  and 
suffered  a  terrible  onslaught,  after  which  all  dispersed. 

In  the  room  off  the  sala  seven  narrow  beds  were 
standing  and  it  was  here  that  space  had  been  made 
for  Horacio.  On  each  bed  were  one  or  two  hens,  And 
these  were  hustled,  cackling  and  angry,  out  of  the  "win- 
dow, protesting  in  vain  against  the  filling  of  all  of  the 
beds  with  nothing  but  human  beings  and  jumping  in- 
stantly to  the  sill  again  in  a  further  attempt  to  dis- 
lodge the  intruders,  which  attempt,  although  earnest 
and  fearless,  was  entirely  ineffective,  for  their  enemies 
piled  indignities  upon  them  by  snapping  towels  in  their 
faces  ( !)  and  silence  soon  reigned  in  all  the  house. 

The  next  morning,  after  coffee,  family-worship  was 
held  without  remarks  on  the  Scripture-reading,  and 
afterwards  breakfast  was  served  earlier  than  usual,  in 
order  that  all  might  prepare  for  their  five-mile  walk  to 
the  chapel,  for  not  a  wheel  nor  a  hoof  might  stir  on  all 
Sor  Joao's  place  on  the  Lord's  day. 


ALFREDO  163 

Horacio  thrust  his  precious  sermon  into  his  pocket 
and  set  off  down  the  dusty  road  with  the  others,  and 
in  the  course  of  an  hour  and  a  half  all  of  them  were 
come  to  the  modest  little  building  where  the  people 
worshipped. 

At  Alfredo's  earnest  insistence  the  young  man  took 
his  place  with  him  in  the  pulpit,  although  he  rather 
resented  his  companion's  ministerial  long  black  coat, 
which  he  considered  premature  and  out  of  place. 

All  the  boys  bought  Prince  Alberts  when  they  first 
entered  the  preparatory,  whether  they  could  afford  it 
or  not,  and  cultivated  narrow  white  ties.  Horacio  could 
not  do  it  for  two  reasons — because  he  did  not  have  the 
money  and  because  he  wished  to  maintain  his  self- 
respect.  Alfredo  was  two  years  below  him  at  school 
and  had  not  even  been  instructed  to  undertake  any 
practice-preaching,  so  far  as  he  was  aware,  but  his  home 
was  not  far  away  and  he  had  evidently  borrowed  a 
horse  and  set  out  on  his  own  responsibility,  without 
knowing  that  some  one  had  been  specially  sent  to  do 
the  work.  Almost  any  other  Sunday  there  would  have 
been  no  one  in  the  way. 

While  these  thoughts,  scarcely  ministerial,  were  flit- 
ting through  his  mind  his  companion  suddenly  inter- 
rupted them  by  leaning  over  and  asking  him  to  make 
the  long  prayer  when  the  time  should  arrive.  Horacio 
nodded,  then  remembered  his  dry  and  dusty  throat  and, 
beckoning  the  caretaker  or  sexton,  asked  him  to  bring 
him  a  glass  of  water.  To  his  dismay,  the  water  came  in 
a  long-spouted  tin  coffee-pot  or  "bule,"  with  no  cup 


164  HORACIO 

or  tumbler.  He  looked  at  it  for  an  instant,  then  boldly 
put  the  top  to  his  lips,  and,  having  satisfied  his  thirst, 
passed  it  to  his  companion.  Alfredo  gazed  at  it  doubt- 
fully, as  he  had  done,  then  put  the  long  spout  to  his 
mouth  and  gravely  tipped  it  up. 

It  was  now  time  to  begin  the  service,  and,  a  goat 
having  been  dislodged  from  its  position  on  the  stool, 
the  wheezy  little  organ,  much  out  of  repair,  was  per- 
suaded to  lead  the  music  as  well  as  its  quavering  notes 
would  respond  to  the  keys.  Presently  Alfredo  arose 
to  deliver  his  address.  Horacio  could  see  that  he  had 
no  notes  and  that  all  his  fine  self-assurance  had  faded 
away,  leaving  him  in  a  sad  state  of  trepidation. 

"My  dear  hearers,"  he  began,  and  jerked  his  hand 
loosely  into  a  quick  gesture,  recovering  it  again  before 
it  was  fully  extended,  as  though  he  had  suddenly 
changed  his  mind  about  letting  it  go.  "My  dear  hearers, 
I  wish  to  invite  your  attention  to  the  first  verse  of  the 
eighteenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  according  to  Saint 
Luke:  'Men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to  faint.' 

"I  will  now  give  you  a  striking  instance  of  the  power 
of  prayer.  Jonah,  my  dear  hearers" — the  loose- join  ted 
arm  jerked  in  irrelevant  gesture  and  continued  to  do 
so  at  singularly  inappropriate  intervals  throughout  the 
discourse — "Jonah,  my  dear  hearers!  Jonah  was  a  man 
that  was  a  prophet!  The  Lord  told  Jonah  to  go  to 
Nineveh,  that  great  and  wicked  city,  and  preach  re- 
pentance to  the  inhabitants.  But  Jonah  was  afraid 
and  fled  from  the  face  of  the  Lord!  He  took  a  steam- 
boat, my  dear  hearers,  and  went  out  upon  the  ocean; 


ALFREDO  165 

but  there  came  a  great  storm,  my  dear  hearers" — gasp 
and  a  long  breath — "my  dear  hearers!  A  great  storm 
came!  The  winds  blew  and  the  floods  came  and  beat 
upon  that  house — steamboat,  I  mean — and  the  great 
waves  came  up  against  it.  It  thundered  and  lightened 
and  the  steamboat  pitched  about  until  they  all  thought 
they  would  be  drowned.  Then  they  fell  upon  their 
knees  and  called  upon  their  gods,  and  there  wasn't  any 
one  to  steer  the  boat,  so  Jonah  cried  out  that  he  had 
sinned  against  his  God,  and  it  was  all  his  fault,  and  so 
they  pitched  him  overboard,  my  dear  hearers,  into  the 
angry  waves. 

"But  a  great  fish  came,  my  dear  hearers,  and  im- 
mediately swallowed  Jonah,  and  after  three  days  and 
three  nights  it  vomited  him  up  on  the  beach  in  front 
of  the  city  of  Nineveh,  my  dear  hearers.  Then  Jonah 
went  and  preached  to  the  people  and  they  all  repented, 
my  dear  hearers !  That  great  and  wicked  city  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  inhabitants  all  repented  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes ! 

"But  Jonah  was  angry,  my  dear  hearers,  so  he  went 
up  on  the  hill,  where  the  sun  was  very  hot,  and  he 
prayed  to  God  to  slay  him;  but  God  sent  him  a  gourd- 
tree  which  grew  over  him,  so  that  the  sun  would  not 
bother  him.  So  here  you  see  this  striking  answer  to 
prayer,  my  dear  hearers,  and  then  an  animal  came  and 
gnawed  the  tree  and  it  died. 

"Here  is  another  striking  answer  to  prayer,  my  dear 
hearers.  When  Christ  was  on  the  mountain  in  the 
garden,  they  came  against  him  with  shot-guns  to  take 


166  HORACIO 

him,  and  they  took  him  and  delivered  him  up  and  cruci- 
fied him.  So  he  prayed,  'Father,  forgive  them,  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do.' 

"All  this  teaches  us,  my  dear  hearers,  that  we  ought 
always  to  pray  and  not  to  faint. 

"Let  us  sing  hymn  number  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-seven, hymn  number  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
— the  first  three  stanzas!" 

The  weather  threatened  rain  so  ominously  that  they 
all  set  out  immediately  after  the  service  to  return  to 
the  fazenda,  as  it  seemed  injudicious  to  attempt  to  wait 
and  hold  an  evening  service. 

At  the  cross-roads  they  stopped  for  a  moment  to 
await  a  stranger  who  signalled  to  them  from  a  distance. 
A  large  iron  cross  stood  at  the  parting  of  the  ways, 
and,  as  Horacio  looked  at  it  and  wondered  to  see  such 
a  substantial  emblem,  Sor  Joao  explained : 

"There  used  to  be  a  wooden  cross  there,  but  my 
neighbor  over  here,  when  he  got  religion,  couldn't  bear 
to  see  no  such  Roman  fixin's  here,  so  he  just  come  over 
and  chopped  it  down — 'the  groves  and  the  high-places,' 
you  know.  Sor  Elias,  what  put  it  up  there,  he  didn't 
know  who  it  was  that  done  it,  so  he  set  up  another 
one  and  kep'  an  eye  on  it,  and  then  my  neighbor  he 
come  over  again  and  chopped  the  other  one  down  and 
burnt  it;  but  Sor  Elias  he  knew  who  it  was  that  done 
it  this  time,  and  he  sent  into  town  and  got  this  iron 
one,  and  then  he  sent  word  to  my  neighbor  to  just  leave 
it  strictly  alone  or  he'd  fill  him  full  of  buckshot.  So  my 
neighbor  he  thought  he  had  gone  as  far  as  -duty  called 


ALFREDO  167 

him"— a  chuckle  from  the  narrator  gave  all  necessary 
comment  on  his  neighbor's  valor — "so  he  let  it  alone 
thereafter. 

"For  my  part,  I  don't  believe  as  how  we  have  any 
call  to  do  no  such  violent  acts  as  that.  The  cross 
ain't  to  blame  for  nothin';  it's  just  the  misuse  of  it,  I 
take  it.  What  do  you  think  about  it,  Sor  Alfredo?" 

"I  think  you  are  quite  right,"  replied  Alfredo,  puff- 
ing himself. 

"You  see  those  peanut-shucks  there  in  the  road," 
continued  Sor  Joao;  "that  just  shows  how  these  Ro- 
manists mix  things  up.  There's  that  same  fellow,  Sor 
Elias,  what  put  up  that  cross  there,  has  gone  and  thrown 
them  shucks  at  the  cross-roads  so  that  all  the  people 
that  goes  by  on  both  roads  will  tread  on  them  and 
make  his  crops  larger,  and,  if  that  fails,  why  maybe 
the  cross  will  help  him  out.  But  here's — why  blessed 
if  it  ain't  Emilio!  Mornin',  Emiloi  How  have  you 
passed?" 

"Morning!"  replied  the  newcomer,  a  brother-in-law  of 
Sor  Joao,  "how  have  you  passed?" 

He  shook  hands  and  embraced  and  was  presented 
to  the  students.  Together  they  went  on  toward  the 
sitio  and  reached  it  just  as  the  clouds  began  to  pour 
down  a  heavy  rain. 

Sor  Emilio,  like  the  young  man  with  whom  we  have 
already  made  acquaintance,  was  a  district-school  teach- 
er, and  had  walked  over  from  his  distant  field  of  labor 
to  attend  church,  but  had  been  delayed  upon  the  way. 

After  a  lunch  of  coffee  and  fried-mush,  family-wor- 


168  HORACIO 

ship  was  again  held,  and  then  one  and  another  called 
for  a  favorite  hymn.  Thus  the  hours  were  passed  until 
the  added  darkness,  due  to  the  declining  sun,  warned 
them  that  the  table  must  be  laid  for  dinner,  and  so 
they  cleared  away  their  books  from  it  that  the  women 
might  spread  the  cloth. 

Sor  Emilio's  voice,  perhaps,  aided  in  doing  away 
with  any  lingering  reluctance  to  bring  the  sacred  con- 
cert to  a  close.  Sor  Emilio  was  very  fond  of  sing- 
ing and  very  proud  of  his  voice,  and  it  was  some- 
thing of  which  to  be  proud  indeed!  He  handled  the 
four  principal  parts  with  equal  ability  simultaneously 
and  intermittently.  Keys  were,  to  his  mind,  properly 
employed  in  opening  doors  and  drawers,  but  in  music 
they  had  but  little  place.  He  fluted  and  flounced  and 
trimmed  the  tunes  with  ribbons  and  plumes,  and  his 
voice  in  any  part  was  penetrative  and  prevalent.  Only 
Horacio's  correct  ear  and  smooth,  strong  voice  kept 
the  tunes  upon  their  feet — with  the  aid  of  their  staves 
— and  even  then  they  halted  somewhat.  He  welcomed 
the  diversion  and  gladly  laid  down  his  book.  After 
dinner  family-prayers  came  again  and  the  evening  passed 
as  before,  with  discussion  and  singing. 


THE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED. 

THE  next  day  was  too  stormy  for  work  or  for  trav- 
elling, and  about  nine  o'clock,  as  they  were  gathered 
in  front  of  the  house,  a  horseman  splashed  through 
the  mud  and  rain,  slipping  and  sliding  as  though  the 
animal  which  he  bestrode  would  fain  exhibit  his  terp- 
sichorean  proficiency  and  accomplishments — slide  upon 
slide,  stagger  upon  stagger,  here  a  leg  and  there  a  leg, 
and  hard  to  say  where  the  next  would  be  and  whether 
he  could  bring  himself  back  to  the  vertical  again. 

The  rider  paid  no  manner  of  attention  to  his  erratic 
progress,  but  swayed  his  body  in  unconscious  accord 
with  the  vagaries  of  his  march,  for  a  single-footing 
horse  on  a  stretch  of  wet  clay  travels  like  a  light- 
headed caboclo  who  has  lingered  too  long  at  the  cachaga. 

In  short,  if  one  will  ride  on  clay,  with  weeping 
skies  o'erhead,  let  him  put  spurs  to  his  steed  and  re- 
gard not  the  manner  of  his  going  nor  that  adage  which 
would  persuade  him  that  the  more  haste  the  less  speed, 
for  mathematics  will  not  save  him. 

The  messenger  drew  rein  and  slid  the  last  half-dozen 
meters  of  his  journey  down  to  the  door  where  Sor 
Joao  stood  watching  him. 

"Dismount!"  he  cried,  "dismount  and  come  inside! 

169 


170  HORACIO 

It's  deep  to  wade  and  shallow  to  swim  this  morning." 

He  gave  his  hand  to  the  horseman,  who  leaned  from 
the  saddle  to  grasp  it  but  would  not  dismount. 

Sor  Joao  stepped  back  again  into  his  slippers  and 
the  protection  of  the  doorway,  which  he  had  left  to 
salute  the  stranger,  for  the  drip  of  the  eaves  had  caught 
his  bald  pate  as  he  stepped  out  into  the  mud  in  his 
bare  feet.  The  messenger  was  a  lad  from  Sor  Samuel's, 
two  leagues  back  in  the  forest. 

"I  cannot  stop,"  said  the  young  man  hastily  and 
with  a  grave  face,  as  Sor  Joao  urged  him  to  dismount; 
"Sor  Samuel's  woman  has  gone  home.  She  passed 
away  yesterday  and  must  be  buried  to-day,  for  she 
won't  keep.  We  heard  that  there  were  services  yes- 
terday and  I  came  to  see  if  the  Reverend  Gentil  would 
go  to  the  grave.  Is  he  still  here?  I  must  go  on  and 
let  Manoel  know,  that  he  may  make  the  grave.  They 
will  be  here  with  the  deceased  in  about  two  hours.  They 
started  when  I  did." 

"Ah.  I  grieve  to  learn  of  our  brother's  loss.  But 
the  Reverend  Gentil  is  not  here  to-day.  He  sent  a 
young  man  from  the  Seminary.  Perhaps  the  young 
man  will  go.  Sor  Alfredo!  You  will  go  to  the  grave 
— is  it  not  so?" 

The  young  man  arose  and  came  forward.  "Really, 
you  must  excuse  me,"  he  said,  with  a  slight  shrug 
of  his  shoulders,  "I  have  not  the  book  of  services." 

"Don't  let  that  trouble  you,"  answered  his  host; 
"I  have  the  book  here.  All  you  need  to  do  is  to  read 
the  service,  make  the  prayer  and  give  out  a  hymn. 


TEE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED     171 

I  could  do  it  myself,  but  the  good  Lord  didn't  cut  me 
out  for  speechifyin'.  " 

Alfredo  gazed  out  into  the  storm.  The  wind  blew 
the  rain  in  sheets  and  the  water  skurried  down  the 
road  and  over  every  slope  in  torrents. 

"Beally,  I  think  the  service  might  be  dispensed  with 
on  a  day  like  this.  Where  is  the  cemetery?" 

"  'Tis  a  bit  further  on,  about  two  kilometers  down 
the  lower  road.  The  funeral  will  pass  us  here  on  the 
other  side  of  the  corrego,  along  the  foothill  road.  You 
can  see  them  comin'  when  they  pass  the  turn  up  there, 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  away,  and  cross  the  bridge  and 
join  them  down  below." 

"But  will  they  come  a  day  like  this?  How  far  is 
it  to  the  house  where  the  woman  died?" 

"Oh,  two  leagues  or  thereabouts.  Yes,  they  will 
come.  She  will  not  keep  and  no  one  knows  how  long 
it  will  rain.  They  cannot  wait  on  the  storm." 

Alfredo  fidgetted  from  one  foot  to  the  other.  "I  am 
not  feeling  very  well  this  morning,"  he  murmured, 
"my  throat — huh!  huh! — "  fetching  a  cough,  "has  been 
bothering  me  for  some  time."  He  coughed  again  once 
or  twice  in  demonstration.  "Let  them  do  as  they  would 
have  done  had  we  not  been  here." 

Sor  Joao  looked  toward  Horacio.  "And  how  is  it 
with  you?  Have  you  a  cold  also?" 

"I  will  go  if  you  wish,"  he  replied,  disregarding 
the  latter  part  of  the  query.  "Please  let  me  have  the 
book  so  that  I  may  glance  over  the  service." 

Sor  Joao  went  to  find   the   little  volume,   and  the 


172  HORACIO 

messenger  dashed  off  through  the  mud,  leaving  the  news 
of  the  woman's  death  with  the  friends  and  neighbors 
wherever  he  passed. 

"Have  you  a  Protestant  cemetery  nigh  at  hand?" 
Horacio  asked,  as  he  took  the  little  book  from  Sor 
Joao. 

"No,  it  is  not  a  Protestant  cemetery  exactly.  It 
did  belong  to  Rome  and  was  consecrated  ground,  but 
after  the  Empire  passed  away  the  Municipality  took 
it  and  made  it  free  to  all,  only,  to  avoid  trouble,  we 
take  one  side  and  our  neighbors  who  still  belong  to 
Rome  take  the  other."  Sor  Joao  began  to  chuckle  and 
there  was  a  droll  twinkle  in  his  eye  as  some  humorous 
recollection  came  to  his  mind. 

"Sor  Elias  come  by  here  the  other  day,"  he  said 
at  last,  "and  stopped  off  to  bargain  for  a  horse  I 
have.  I  disremember  what  started  it — ah,  yes,  that  was 
it!  We  was  a-talkin'  of  the  tatus  that  got  into  the 
maize  and  destroyed  a  tremendous  lot,  burrowin'  and 
stealin'. 

"  'Hum!'  says  he,  'I  see  they're  a-burrowin'  away 
up  in  the  graveyard,'  says  he. 

"  'Yes,'  says  I,  'I  noticed  of  it.' 

"  'No  doubt,'  says  he,  'but  did  you  notice  that  they're 
a-burrowin'  altogether  to  get  at  the  Protestants,  while 
they  leave  our  people  in  peace?'  says  he. 

"  'No,'  says  I,  'I  took  no  notice  of  it'  " 

"'Of  course  not,'  says  he,  with  a  grin;  'well,  it's 
gospel  truth!  How  do  you  account  for  it  that  they 
should  go  over  to  your  side  and  not  come  to  ours? 


TEE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED     173 

I  take  it  they  can't  bear  to  see  a  heretic  corpse  a-lyin' 
in  good  soil  what's  been  blessed  and  sprinkled  by  the 
padre,  so  they've  set  to  diggin'  of  'em  up  to  get  'em 
out  of  there,'  says  he,  and  laughs  as  though  he  had 
me  there. 

"  'Pooh!'  says  I,  for  he  spoke  first,  and  second- 
hand is  best  in  an  argument  if  it  isn't  in  clothes,  'I 
know  what  the  tatus  are  after,'  says  I.  'They  knew 
the'  wa'n't  no  hope  for  you  folks  when  the  resur- 
rection come,  so  they  just  set  to,  to  open  up  a  way 
to  make  it  easy  for  our  folks  to  come  forth,  and  bur- 
rowed down  in  our  graves  and  not  in  yours.' 

"He  hadn't  nothin'  to  say  to  that,  so  I  thought  I'd 
clinch  the  nail  in  him  before  he  come  up  with  some- 
thing new,  and  so  I  just  asked  him  why  they  buried 
those  two  lepers  outside  the  graveyard  wall.  They 
was  good  Romanists,  both  of  'em,  but  they  wouldn't 
give  'em  a  place  inside — he,  he!  He  got  red  in  the 
face  and  he  says,  says  he,  'Why,  it's  ketchin',  of 
course!'  but  I  laughed  so  hard  he  grabbed  his  hat  and 
rode  away,  and  I  fancy  he  ain't  found  out  yet  what 
I  was  laughin'  at.  But  go  on  with  your  readin',  for 
they'll  be  along  by-and-by.  I'll  have  your  horse  ready 
out  under  the  shed  there." 

Horacio  set  himself  to  his  studying,  and  it  seemed 
but  a  short  time  until  his  hostess  thrust  her  head  in 
from  the  kitchen,  the  rear  window  of  which  commanded  a 
view  of  the  road  on  the  other  side  of  the  corrego. 

"Here  comes  the  interment!"  she  called,  and  dis- 
appeared. 


174  HORACIO 

The  young  man  hurried  to  the  window  and  looked 
out.  Around  the  long  slope  of  the  hill  a  file  of  horse- 
men made  their  way,  splashing  through  mud  and  rain. 
At  the  head  of  the  procession  two  men  with  breeches 
rolled  to  their  knees  above  their  bare  feet  and  legs, 
bore  a  long  pole  from  which  the  corpse  was  slung  in 
a  hammock.  Behind  them  followed  a  half-dozen  others, 
ready  to  take  their  turn  at  the  pole  when  their  com- 
rades were  weary.  Thus  they  had  come  those  two 
leagues  and  more  that  morning,  and  thus  they  would 
go  on  until  they  reached  the  little  graveyard.  The 
horses  of  those  who  were  afoot  were  led  by  their  friends 
ttho  were  mounted,  in  order  that  they  might  not  need 
to  walk  back. 

Horacio  threw  his  pala  over  his  shoulders  and  mounted 
his  horse  to  join  them  farther  down  the  road.  Sor 
Joao  and  two  of  the  young  men  accompanied  him.  The 
others  remained  with  Alfredo. 

The  little  cemetery  was  surrounded  with  a  white- 
washed mud  wall  topped  with  tiles  to  shed  the  rain, 
which  would  quickly  destroy  it  if  left  unprotected.  On 
the  farther  side  rude,  weather-beaten  crosses  marked 
the  last  resting-places  of  those  who  had  died  in  the 
bosom  of  Rome,  while  plain  wooden  slabs  for  the  most 
part  indicated  the  sepulture  of  the  Protestants. 

The  place  was  barren  enough  at  its  best,  and  in 
the  pouring  rain  presented  but  a  disconsolate  and  for- 
lorn appearance.  A  large  group  of  friends  was  already 
gathered  at  the  grave,  where  one  of  the  neighbors  was 
bailing  with  a  large  gourd  the  water  which  steadily 


THE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED     175 

flowed  into  it  from  the  upper  strata  of  the  surface  soil. 

"  'Tis  not  a  dry  bed  she  will  have,"  remarked  one 
of  the  bystanders,  as  the  bailer  seemed  to  make  no  gain 
on  the  influx  of  the  yellow  water. 

"What  matters  it?"  replied  another.  "She  has  gone 
up  higher!" 

"True,  true!"  assented  the  other  speaker,  "but  the 
seeming  of  it  is  not  pleasant.  It  is  bad  weather  to 
die  in." 

"For  the  pall-bearers?"  queried  the  other,  with  a 
grim  chuckle 

The  head  of  the  procession  now  appeared  at  the 
cemetery  gate  and  the  bearers  staggered  and  slipped 
through  it,  digging  their  bare  toes  into  the  clay  and 
struggling  up  the  path,  while  the  mud-bedaubed  ham- 
mock swayed  and  strained  at  the  pole.  Having  ar- 
rived at  the  side  of  the  grave,  they  laid  their  burden 
down  upon  the  ground  and  wiped  their  brows,  steam- 
ing with  rain  and  sweat. 

The  corpse  had  been  wound  about  with  many  cot- 
ton cloths  and  wrappings,  and  was  now  divested  of 
the  hammock  and  stretched  beside  the  muddy  opening 
in  the  earth. 

A  hasty  consultation  ensued  between  the  family  and 
Sor  Joao,  and  the  latter  presented  Horacio.  An  um- 
brella was  produced,  and  beneath  its  protecting  shelter 
he  opened  the  little  manual  and  read  the  service  for 
the  dead  amid  a  silence  only  broken  by  the  splash  of 
the  falling  rain  and  the  rush  of  water  as  the  grave-digger 
emptied  his  gourd, 


176  HORACIO 

In  spite  of  the  inauspicious  circumstances  there  was 
a  certain  solemnity  about  the  little  service,  which  was 
concluded  with  the  hymn: 

"Jesus  resusitou!  Certas  as  novas  sao!" 
The  corpse  was  then  gently  lowered  into  the  water 
which  still  remained  in  the  grave  in  spite  of  all  the 
efforts  of  the  bailer,  but  it  would  not  sink  to  rest  on 
the  bottom.  It  was  necessary  to  retain  it  in  position 
with  the  shovel  until  the  earth  which  was  thrown  in 
upon  it  weighed  it  down  into  place.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments the  excavation  was  closed  and  the  little  com- 
pany of  believers  scattered. 

The  rain  continued  throughout  the  day,  but  toward 
night  the  sky  cleared  and  the  clouds  broke  away,  giving 
hopeful  promise  for  the  morrow. 

As  it  grew  dark  a  couple  of  neighbors  passed  on 
their  way  home  from  a  distant  sitio.  The  younger 
of  them  bore  under  his  arm  in  a  waterproof  case  a 
little  guitar,  or  viola  as  it  is  called,  which  immediately 
attracted  Alfredo's  attention.  With  sparkling  eyes  ho 
turned  toward  the  newcomers. 

"Oh,  let  us  have  a  modinha!  You  sing,  don't  you?" 
he  cried. 

The  young  man  shuffled  his  feet  uneasily  and  glanced 
first  at  Sor  Joao  and  then  at  the  older  man.  "Yes,  I 
sing — a  little,"  he  admitted  deprecatingly. 

"Let  us  have  a  modinha  then,  won't  you?  There 
is  nothing  I  like  so  much,"  insisted  Alfredo. 

The  young  man  still  hesitated  and  turned  his  in- 
strument over  and  over  in  embarrassment,  without  tak- 


THE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED     177 

ing  it  from  the  case.  His  older  companion  glanced  at 
him  in  some  amusement  and  finally  said,  "Give  him  a 
song,  Celestino,  if  he  wants  it." 

Celestino  drew  the  instrument  slowly  from  its  case, 
ran  his  hand  across  the  wires  and  hunched  up  close 
to  his  companion.  Striking  a  vigorous  prelude,  he 
sang  in  a  wierd  falsetto  of  one  So-and-so  who  had  a 
grudge  against  So-and-so. 

His  companion  caught  up  the  tail-end  of  this  sinister 
statement  and  chanted  it  mournfully  after  him,  so  that 
he  had  time  to  repeat  it  and  catch  up  with  the  other, 
and  thus  they  finished  it  together,  with  a  quaint  har- 
mony; but  the  fact  was  no  sooner  established  than 
the  falsetto  announced  quickly  that  So-and-so  stuck 
his  knife  in  the  armhole  of  his  vest  and  started  off  to 
So-and-so's  house. 

This  second  statement  was  immediately  established 
in  the  same  manner  as  the  first,  and  then  the  falsetto 
went  on  to  affirm  that  after  So-and-so  had  courteously 
saluted  So-and-so  with  a  few  choice  Brazilian  exple- 
tives, a  second  knife  was  produced  by  the  gentleman  not 
on  horseback,  whereupon  the  cavalier  proceeded  to  dis- 
mount and  there  was  trouble  and  disaster,  and  the 
dying  rhythm  of  this  latter  well-established  fact  faded 
away  into  a  strain  whose  mournful  cadence  might  well 
have  served  as  the  unfortunate  So-and-so's  requiem. 

Alfredo  was  delighted  and  so  indeed  were  a  num- 
ber of  others,  but  Sor  Joao  was  not  pleased.  An  almost 
unintelligible  ballad  of  an  African  love-adventure  fol- 
lowed, and  then  the  travellers  remounted  and  continued 


178  HORACIO 

their  journey,  after  gulping  down  the  inevitable  coffee, 
but  Sor  Joao  had  disappeared  with  Sor  Emilio  in  the 
rear  of  the  house  to  attend  to  his  chores. 

"We  don't  have  profane  music  here  any  more  since 
we  came  out  of  Kome  and  her  vanities,"  explained  one 
of  the  boys. 

"But  did  you  notice  Sor  Joao 's  feet  a-shuffling  to  the 
music?"  added  one  of  the  younger  ones,  grinning. 

An  hour  had  passed  after  this  unfortunate  trespass 
of  the  world,  the  flesh  and  the  evil  one,  when  the 
sound  of  approaching  hoofs  was  again  heard  and  the 
Reverend  Gentil  rode  up  to  the  door  on  his  sturdy 
little  nag.  With  an  exclamation  of  mingled  pleasure 
and  surprise  Sor  Joao  sprang  forward  and  assisted 
him  to  alight. 

"Ohe!"  he  cried,  "what  good  fortune  brings  you 
here?  We  shall  have  the  house  full  of  preachers  to- 
night!" 

"What!  is  Horacio  still  here?  You  will  be  over- 
crowded," the  minister  said,  wringing  the  presbyter's 
hand. 

"Capaz!  There's  always  room  for  one  more,  and 
for  a  dozen — if  they  bring  the  Word  with  them." 

"Thank  you!  Well,  if  you  are  sure  I  do  not  in- 
commode? I  did  not  expect  to  come  this  way.  The 
bridge  is  down  on  the  Rio  Negro,  and  I  must  needs 
let  the  believers  on  the  other  side  wait  until  I  can  go 
that  way  again.  You  must  let  me  know  if  they  rebuild 
tfie  bridge  soon;  if  not,  I  must  go  around  by  the  Ponte 
Alta  next  time.  What!  you  here,  Alfredo?"  He  had 


THE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED     179 

been  shaking  hands  around,  and  exclaimed  at  sight  of 
the  tall  student. 

"Oh,  yes,  I'm  here.  I  thought  I  would  come  over 
and  do  what  I  could  to  help." 

"Ah,  that  is  good!  I  am  glad  to  see  you.  An  em- 
brace, Horacio!  So  you  fleshed  your  maiden  sword 
yesterday?  Sor  Joao,  did  he  do  the  Presbytery  credit?" 
— this  jokingly. 

Horacio  flushed  and  felt  ill  at  ease,  but  Alfredo's 
composure  was  perfect.  Horacio  wondered  why  his 
school-fellow  had  been  nervous  in  the  pulpit.  Sor  Joao 
looked  inquiringly  from  one  to  the  other  and  was  about 
to  speak,  but  the  minister,  evidently  comprehending  the 
situation,  went  on: 

"By  the  way,  Alfredo,  how  is  Sor  Reynaldo's  horse? 
He  is  much  distressed  about  it." 

"What  horse?"  asked  the  young  man,  with  admirable 
poise. 

"The  horse  you  borrowed  last  week  to  ride  home, 
and  were  to  have  returned  to  him,  but  it  was  too  sick 
to  send  over.  He  showed  me  your  letter  and  was 
anxious  about  the  horse.  The  animal  is  a  great  pet 
and  favorite,  it  seems." 

"Ah,  yes,  to  be  sure,"  said  Alfredo,  with  a  frank 
smile,  "the  horse  was  doing  nicely  when  I  left.  I  shall 
send  him  home  as  soon  as  I  return." 

"Where  has  Sor  Joao  gone?"  suddenly  inquired  the 
minister,  missing  him. 

"He  has  just  gone  around  to  the  stable  with  your 
horse,"  said  Henrique,  one  of  the  boys. 


180  HORACIO 

"Ah,  I  must  have  my  saddle-bags!  I  will  go  after 
them." 

"It  is  not  necessary,  Sor  Gentil!  I  will  go  if  you 
want,  but  father  will  bring  them  when  he  comes,"  said 
the  son,  but  the  minister  was  already  through  the  door 
and  halfway  along  the  side  of  the  house. 

When  he  returned  the  table  was  prepared  for  sup- 
per and  had  been  lengthened  by  adding  a  couple  of 
boards  supported  on  boxes.  All  seated  themselves  and 
the  minister  returned  thanks. 

"Sor  Joao  tells  me  that  you  did  not  preach  for  them 
on  Sunday  after  all,"  said  he  presently,  as  the  knives 
and  forks  began  to  fulfill  their  offices.  He  looked  at 
Horacio,  who  flushed  but  said  nothing. 

"He  was  to  have  preached  in  the  evening,"  said 
Alfredo  calmly,  "but  the  weather  was  unpropitious. " 

"Sor  Alfredo  preached  in  the  mornin',"  added  the 
host,  with  a  bit  of  pork  between  his  teeth  which  par- 
tially obstructed  the  statement.  "He  got  here  first,  you 
know.  Did  you  send  Sor  Horacio  also?" 

The  minister  looked  from  one  to  the  other  of  the 
two  young  men.  Horacio  certainly  seemed  to  be  at 
least  a  criminal,  if  one  might  judge  from  his  face, 
while  Alfredo  seemed  at  least  a  saint.  His  serene 
self-confidence  was  undisturbed. 

"Did  you  give  my  letter  to  Sor  Joao,  Horacio?"  the 
minister  inquired,  at  last. 

"No,  senhor,"  replied  the  student  unhesitatingly;  "I 
found  that  Alfredo  had  already  arranged  for  the  morn- 
ing service  and  so  I  kept  the  letter.  It  seemed  to  me 


TEE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED     181 

there  had  been  a  mistake  and  I  saw  no  need  to  say 
anything.  Sor  Joao  opend  his  house  to  me  most  hos^ 
pitably  without  any  letter,"  and  he  smiled  at  his  host 
to  smooth  away  the  awkwardness  of  the  situation. 

The  Reverend  Gentil  said  nothing  but  looked  vol- 
umes. Presently  he  turned  to  Alfredo  and  remarked 
indifferently,  "How  like  your  horse  is  to  Sor  Rey- 
naldo's!  I  saw  it  just  now  in  the  stable." 

''Yes,  it  is  very  much  like  his,"  replied  the  student, 
with  unwavering  eye;  "I  always  thought  they  looked 
alike." 

The  minister  did  not  pursue  the  subject  further,  but 
a  sudden  chill  seemed  to  settle  down  between  Alfredo 
and  the  rest  of  the  company. 

The  next  day  Horacio  went  on  his  way  and  the 
minister  took  the  road  in  the  opposite  direction,  but 
Alfredo  borrowed  a  gun  from  his  host  and  went  off 
in  the  woods  to  shoot. 

Towards  the  middle  of  that  day  the  colporter  be- 
gan to  get  well  into  the  edge  of  the  sertao,  or  virgin 
forest,  only  broken  in  isolated  spots  by  clearings  for 
coffee  planting.  Here  the  corn  grows  among  the  charred 
ruins  of  the  forest,  and  only  the  decay  which  time  can 
bring  finishes  the  work  which  the  axe  and  fire  begin. 

In  the  little  square  holes,  roofed  over  with  minia- 
ture log-cabins  of  sticks  to  protect  them  from  the  sun, 
the  young  coffee-trees  were  thrusting  their  brilliant, 
waxy-green  leaves  up  though  the  interstices  of  their 
houses,  while  all  the  ground  between  not  occupied  by 
the  fallen  timber  was  devoted  to  beans  or  corn. 


182  HORACIO 

The  great  hoes  fell  heavily  upon  the  ground,  littered 
with  last  year's  stalks  and  rubbish,  as  men  and  women 
labored  to  prepare  the  ground  for  the  coming  seed- 
time and  harvest.  The  corn  must  battle  with  the  woods 
in  a  life-and-death  conflict,  for  plows  were  unknown 
and  hands  could  not  be  spared  to  keep  the  surface 
clean. 

In  the  damp  spots,  where  the  ground  lay  low  by 
the  margins  of  the  countless  streams,  the  little  patch- 
es of  rice  grew  thick  and  abundant.  In  June  it  would 
be  harvested,  and  men  and  women  laborers,  with  knife 
in  hand,  would  grasp  its  tall  stalks  with  one  hand,  and 
gathering  them  into  bunches  with  their  fingers  would 
sever  them  from  the  root  with  the  other,  leaving  only 
an  uneven  stubble  behind. 

A  great  patch  of  smooth  clay  would  then  be  pre- 
pared and  the  grain  beaten  in  handfuls  to  liberate 
the  fat  fed  kernels  of  rice.  Flails  would  free  it  from 
its  husks  and  then  it  would  be  thrown  high  into  the 
air  for  the  wind  to  bear  the  chaff  away.  All  this  he 
could  see  with  the  eye  of  his  memory  and  imagination. 

From  fazenda  to  fazenda  and  from  sitio  to  sitio  the 
road  now  led  through  the  primeval  forest.  Often  he 
clutched  at  Bonito's  mane  and  lifted  a  hand  to  cast 
loose  his  carbine  as  a  deer  bounded  across  the  path, 
but  the  carbine  was  long  laid  away.  Bonito  pricked 
his  ears  and  looked  back  at  his  master  inquiringly,  to 
know  the  cause  of  his  seeming  indifference.  A  whir 
of  wings,  and  a  brace  of  jacus  flew  into  the  lofty  branches 
of  a  jequitiba  from  out  the  jaboticabeira  where  they 


THE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED     183 

had  been  feeding  and  preening.  Deep  in  the  forest  he 
heard  the  shrill  call  of  the  inambu,  and  the  macuco 
begged  a  shot  from  him  as  she  flaunted  her  fine  figure 
only  twenty  paces  away.  The  instinct  of  the  hunter 
knocked  again  and  again  at  his  heart,  and  for  a  moment 
the  traveller  thought  not  of  his  high  calling  but  dreamed 
again  of  the  chase. 

Coming  to  himself  at  last,  as  the  jolting  of  his  sad- 
dle-bags called  his  attention  to  their  need  of  adjust- 
ment, he  noticed  that  his  stock  of  books  was  lower 
than  he  had  dared  to  hope,  and,  giving  the  rein  to 
Bonito,  he  spread  his  little  gains  upon  the  pommel  of 
his  saddle — smoothing  and  counting  the  dirty  notes. 

The  metallic  "tank,  tank!"  of  the  araponga  from 
a  neighboring  tree-top  thrilled  his  heart  with  a  note 
of  sadness,  carrying  his  memory  back  to  that  scene 
of  desolation  when  he  had  come  upon  the  ruins  of  his 
childhood's  home.  Thoughts  of  those  who  had  been  so 
dear  to  him  filled  his  heart,  and  among  the  dimly-seen 
faces  which  memory  pictured  there,  two  great  dark  eyes 
framed  in  the  sallow  face  of  a  young  girl  stood  out 
more  clearly  than  all  the  rest.  Gathering  up  the  reins 
that  lay  loosely  upon  Bonito 's  neck,  he  touched  him 
into  a  gallop  to  ride  away  if  he  could  from  the  oppres- 
sion and  the  pain  of  it,  but  the  pounding  saddle-bags 
soon  brought  him  into  the  quiet  travelling  pace  which 
was  more  agreeable  to  man  and  beast. 

Little  by  little  the  road  grew  narrower  and  the  jungle 
encroached  more  and  more  upon  it.  Although  used  for 
ox-carts,  the  traffic  was  not  very  great  and  the  road 


184  HORACIO 

was  sadly  in  need  of  repair.  The  great  knobbed  tires 
of  the  carts,  aided  by  the  flow  of  abundant  surface- 
water  from  the  frequent  rains,  had  cut  it  down  in 
places  into  enormous  ruts  through  which  his  horse  could 
hardly  squeeze  his  way,  and  it  was  necessary  at  times 
for  him  to  draw  up  his  own  legs  lest  he  bruise  them 
against  the  sides. 

From  the  great  trees  on  either  side  the  tangled  cables 
of  the  cipos  hung  down  or  writhed  their  great  coils  in 
tangled  masses  about  the  trunks.  Many  of  the  trees 
were  clothed  in  brilliant  blossoms.  High  above  all  others 
the  great  smooth  shafts  of  the  jequitibas  rivalled  the 
corrugated  trunks  of  the  cedars,  the  spindling  palms 
thrust  their  graceful,  plumed  tops  up  toward  the  sun, 
striving  to  come  up  to  the  shoulders  of  their  greater 
brethren,  and  underneath  all  the  dense  thickets  of 
taquara  mingled  their  canes  in  inextricable  confusion. 
A  break  in  the  foliage  presaged  a  clearing,  and  presently 
the  young  man  emerged  from  the  shade  of  the  forest 
and  came  in  sight  of  a  humble  dwelling  in  the  midst  of 
a  feeble  attempt  at  cultivation. 

As  he  approached  the  hut  a  swarm  of  little  negroes 
emerged  and  as  quickly  scampered  away,  all  save  one, 
who  put  his  little  hands  together,  bowed  his  head  and 
murmured,  "A  bencjio!"  then  he  too  turned  and  fled. 
A  tall  negress  appeared  at  the  door. 

"Good  afternoon!"  called  Horacio,  coming  to  a  halt. 

"Good  afternoon,  senhor,"  replied  the  woman  lan- 
guidly. 


TEE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED     185 

"Is  there  any  means  of  preparing  me  a  little  cof- 
fee?" he  inquired. 

"Why  not?"  she  answered.  "Be  pleased  to  dismount 
and  enter, ' '  and  Horacio  flung  the  reins  upon  the  ground 
and  came  to  the  door. 

"Be  seated,"  said  the  negress  hospitably,  dusting  a 
black  and  greasy  box  with  her  skirt.  Horacio  noticed 
that  her  smiling,  white  teeth  were  all  filed  to  a  point 
— an  African  custom  still  surviving  in  parts  of  Brazil. 
It  gave  her  otherwise  pleasant  face  a  somewhat  feline 
expression,  but  as  it  could  not  possibly  influence  her 
temper  or  character  its  effect  was  only  upon  the  imag- 
ination. Among  the  blacks  it  is  supposed  to  add  greatly 
to  the  personal  attractions. 

"The  coffee  will  be  ready  in  a  little  moment,"  she 
said.  ' '  Will  you  have  it  with  mixture  ? ' ' 

"Yes,  thank  you,"  responded  the  young  man,  hast- 
ily consulting  his  stomach. 

The  children,  in  various  stages  of  nudity,  gathered 
with  timid  curiosity  in  the  doorway  which  led  from 
the  living-room  into  the  little  kitchen  behind  it.  Horacio 
tried  to  coax  them  forth  to  shake  hands  with  him,  but 
like  a  covey  of  young  partridges,  they  broke  and  fled 
again  at  his  first  advances. 

"Que  criangada!"  exclaimed  the  mother,  observing 
their  behavior.  "They  see  but  few  strangers  here," 
she  explained  apologetically.  "Come  here  and  say  'Sao 
Christo'  to  the  gentleman!"  she  called,  marshalling  them 
in  again. 

Encouraged  by  his  smile  and  a  glimpse  of  his  white 


186  HORACIO 

teeth,  which  are  an  attraction  no  sane  person  can  re- 
sist, the  little  Afro-Brazilians  came  forward  one  by 
one,  and  after  clasping  together  hands  which  nature 
had  doubly  darkened — once  at  birth  and  diurually,  ever 
afterwards,  with  the  abundant  soil  about  the  place — 
murmured  "Sao  Christo"  as  directed  and  retired  to  a 
corner  of  the  room. 

"Would  you  like  to  learn  a  song?"  suggested  the 
young  man,  hoping  to  break  through  their  reserve. 
"Now  I  shall  say  a  line  of  it  and  then  you  can  say 
it,  and  then,  when  we  have  learned  a  verse,  I  shall 
•ing  it.  Now  then !  Prompto ! ' ' 

The  children  displayed  a  willingness  to  obey,  as  well  as 
a  lack  of  understanding. 

"Prompto!"  echoed  the  larger  ones  promptly. 

Horacio  laughed.  "That's  right,"  he  said,  "but 
'prompto'  doesn't  belong  to  the  song.  Now  then,  I  shall 
begin.  Here  you  are:  'Vinde  meninos.  Vinde  a  Jesus!' 
All  say  it!" 

Two  or  three  made  a  stumbling  effort.  "Now,  once 
again — all  together!  'Vinde  meninos.  Vinde  a  Jesus!' 
There,  that  is  better.  '  Elle  ganhou-vos  bengaos  na  cruz. ' 

"  'Vinde  meninos.    Vinde  a  Jesus! 

Elle  ganhou-vos  bengaos  na  cruz.' 
That  is  very  good!     Now  another — 

'Os  pequeninos  Elle  conduz, 
Vinde  ao  Salvador!'  " 

The  children  repeated,  and  the  young  man  resumed, 
"Very  good!  That  is  the  verse,  and  then  we  sing  a 
chorus : 


THE  PRETENDER  UNMASKED     187 

'Que  alegria!  sem  peccado  ou  mal, 
Reunir-nos  todos  a  final! 
Na  santa  patria  celestial, 
Com  nosso  Salvador!'  " 

A  few  moments  of  practice  and  the  lattle  parrots  had 
the  verse  and  chorus:  then  Horacio  sang,  over  and  over 
again,  the  sweet  hymn, 

' '  Come  to  the  Saviour,  make  no  delay ; 
Here  in  his  Word  he's  shown  us  the  way; 
Here  in  our  midst  he 's  standing  to-day, 

Tenderly  saying,  'Come!'  " 

The  tune  was  easy  and  attractive  and  Horacio  had 
it  well  fixed  in  the  memory  of  the  older  children  before 
the  coffee  boiled. 

" Please  to  excuse,"  said  the  negress,  handing  him 
a  gourd  of  steaming  coffee;  "we  have  no  crockery  in 
which  to  offer  it." 

"Better  as  it  is,"  said  the  young  man,  smiling  and 
thinking  of  the  frail  porcelain  at  Donna  Virginia's 
which  had  filled  him  with  apprehension  and  made  the 
meal  unpleasant  for  him. 

"Here  is  the  mixture,"  added  the  woman,  setting  a 
gourd  of  farinha  de  milho,  with  an  iron  spoon,  upon 
the  table. 

A  soldier's  fare  had  accustomed  Horacio  to  anything 
but  high  living,  nevertheless  two  or  three  spoonfuls  of 
this  corn-meal,  pounded  in  water,  fermented  and  dried, 
were  enough  to  make  him  believe  that  he  was  no  longer 
hungry. 

"Well,  I  must  be  on  my  way,"  he  said,  picking  his 


188  HOEACIO 

whip  from  the  dirt-floor  where  it  had  fallen,  "and  what 
do  I  owe  you  for  your  kindness?" 

"Ah,  that  is  nothing!  Do  me  the  favor  to  excuse 
the  insufficiency." 

"Qual!  Then  permit  me,  at  least — "  and  he  pressed 
a  nickel  into  the  hand  of  the  eldest  child.  The  mother 
smiled  appreciatively.  He  shook  hands  all  around,  made 
them  sing  the  song  once  more,  and  rode  off. 


XL 

THE  FIRST   SERMON. 

IN  HIS  pocket  Horacio  bore  a  half-dozen  letters  to 
believers  scattered  here  and  there  through  the  sertao,  and 
that  night  he  proposed  to  make  use  of  the  first,  remain- 
ing with  a  professed  Christian  who  had  already  been 
advised  of  his  approach  in  order  that  he  might  gather 
in  the  neighbors  for  an  evangelistic  service. 

A  long  stretch  of  forest  intervened  between  the  set- 
tler's hut  where  he  had  taught  the  hymn  to  the  children 
and  the  place  of  his  destination,  and  Horacio  wondered 
where  his  audience  could  come  from  in  a  region  so 
sparsely  inhabited;  but  as  the  afternoon  drew  on  he 
was  turning  toward  the  Tiete  again,  and  every  hour  or 
so,  each  of  which  marked  off  a  league  of  journeying, 
brought  him  to  some  small  fazenda  or  group  of  sitios, 
so  that  the  country  seemed  almost  populous  in  com- 
parison with  that  through  which  he  had  been  making 
his  way.  The  road  improved  also,  for  the  outlet  of  this 
district  was  in  the  direction  of  the  river. 

About  four  o'clock  he  turned  aside  to  the  ruins  of 
what  had  once  been  a  rather  fine  house  and,  upon  an- 
nouncing the  purpose  of  his  visit,  was  received  with 
the  warmest  cordiality.  Nothing  was  purchased  from 
him,  but  his  entertainer,  after  serving  coffee,  called  in 

189 


190  HORACIO 

a  numerous  family  and  requested  the  young  man  to 
conduct  a  short  service  of  prayer,  announcing  himself 
a  believer  and  a  member  of  the  church.  Horacio  was 
delighted  to  oblige  him  in  this  way,  and  after  the  little 
service  was  finished  they  sat  and  chatted  for  a  few  min- 
utes before  he  went  on  his  way. 

His  host  was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  manhood, 
broad-shouldered  and  erect,  with  a  splendid,  crisp  black 
beard  and  a  mass  of  jet-black  hair.  His  eyes  were 
bright  and  full  of  intelligence  and  his  every  movement 
governed  by  native  grace.  Eight  boys,  ranging  in  age 
from  six  to  twenty,  were  gathered  about  the  room  taking 
an  eager  interest  in  everything  that  was  said  or  done, 
and  Horacio  was  surprised  to  learn  that  all  of  them  were 
sons  of  his  young-looking  host. 

"Yes,"  said  he,  with  a  look  of  fondest  pride,  in 
answer  to  Horacio 's  question,  "they  are  all  mine  and 
all  of  them  with  good  Scripture  names.  Here  is  one 
of  the  Major  Prophets — I'll  give  you  three  guesses." 

Horacio  laughed  and  discovered  in  two  guesses  that 
the  boy  was  called  Jeremias. 

Thus  the  little  impromptu  game  continued  until  he 
had  guessed  them  all  save  one. 

"This  is  the  son  of  a  patriarch,"  said  his  host. 

Three  guesses  were  not  enough  to  determine  the  iden- 
tity of  this  personage  and  so  he  went  on  guessing,  while 
his  host  was  giving  him  hints  and  crowing  over  his  in- 
ability to  name  the  man.  He  had  finally  learned  that 
he  must  be  one  of  the  sons  of  Abraham,  Isaac  or  Jacob ; 
and  beginning  with  the  grandfather  and  naming  Isaac 


TEE  FIRST  SERMON  191 

and  Ishmael,  had  finally  reached  the  last  of  the  sons  of 
Jacob,  as  he  supposed. 

At  last  he  protested,  "I  have  named  them  all  now. 
You  must  be  fooling  me." 

"No!"  said  the  proud  father,  laughing,  "you  have 
missed  one  of  them." 

"Then  it  must  have  been  a  son  of  Abraham  by 
Keturah,  and  I  confess  I  can't  remember  their  names." 

"Abraham  didn't  have  any  more  sons  than  Isaac  and 
Ishmael,"  asserted  the  host  firmly. 

"Oh,  yes,  he  did,"  replied  Horacio,  "but  I  can't  re- 
member their  names." 

"No,  he  had  no  more  sons,"  reiterated  the  man,  with 
an  air  of  profound  conviction. 

"You  will  have  to  have  the  Bible  for  it  then,"  said 
the  young  colporter,  laughing,  and  he  reached  for  the. 
Book  and  began  to  turn  its  leaves.  "Here  you  are! 
'And  Abraham  took  another  wife,  and  her  name  was 
Keturah.  And  she  bare  him  Zimran  and  Jokshan  and 
Medan  and  Ishbak  and  Shuah.'  There!  is  it  one  of 
them?" 

The  father  of  many  Biblical  sons  stared  at  his  guest 
in  ill-concealed  mortification.  He  had  thoroughly  en- 
joyed patronizing  the  young  man  and  testing  his  knowl- 
edge of  the  Scriptures,  and  now  his  visitor  had  scored! 

"No!"  he  said  somewhat  testily,  "it  is  none  of  them 
but  you  have  forgotten  one  of  the  sons  of  Jacob— 
Issachar. ' ' 

' '  Sure  enough ! ' '  assented  the  traveller  cheerfully,  and 
arose  to  take  his  departure.  His  host's  good-nature  re- 


192  HORACIO 

turned  instantly :  he  thanked  him  cordially  for  the  visit 
and  bade  him  call  again  on  his  return.  "My  name  is 
Mathathias,"  he  said  in  parting,  and  Horacio  shook 
hands  with  the  numerous  family  and  mounted. 

Toward  nightfall  he  came  to  his  destination  and  was 
welcomed  with  open  arms.  Dropping  wearily  upon  a 
bench,  after  saluting  the  various  members  of  the  family 
of  Sor  Rufino,  he  thought  to  rest  himself  for  a  few 
moments  until  something  could  be  prepared  for  him 
to  eat. 

"You  bring  books,  I  was  told,"  his  host  at  once  be- 
gan. "The  Reverend  Gentil  wrote  me  that  you  would 
have  some  hymnals.  We  are  sadly  in  need  of  them 
here." 

Horacio  nodded  and  pulled  his  saddle-bags  toward  him. 
Spreading  his  little  stock  upon  the  table,  he  selected  the 
hymn-books  and  showed  them  to  his  host.  At  this  mo- 
ment the  inevitable  coffee  was  served  them.  The  book-sale 
went  on  and  with  it  a  bit  of  chat. 

Horacio  was  wearied  of  the  staple  topic  of  coffee :  how 
it  had  flowered;  whether  the  flowers  had  "stuck";  what 
harm  the  frost  of  the  preceding  winter  had  done ;  who  had 
sold;  what  it  was  bringing  at  Santos;  when  would  the 
Sorocabana  be  able  to  move  the  accumulation,  and  how 
foreign  countries  could  be  persuaded  to  drink  more  and 
thus  bring  up  the  price,  but  for  the  rest  of  the  journey 
he  was  to  hear  little  but  religion ;  whether  So-and-so  was 
orthodox,  and  why  Some-one-else  did  thusly,  when  he 
must  know  that  it  was  inconsistent. 

"Did  you  stop  at  Sor  Mathathias',  as  you  came  along?" 


THE  FIRST  SERMON  193 

asked  Sor  Rufino  finally,  as  he  selected  three  of  the  little 
hymnals  and  put  them  aside.  ' '  He  will  be  here  to-night. ' ' 

' '  Where  is  that  ? ' '  queried  the  colporter. 

' '  Oh,  a  bit  back  along  the  road — about  two  hours.  Let's 
see!  it  will  be  three-quarters  to  Mario's  and  a  half  to 
Jaime's,  and  a  half  again  to  Mathathias'.  Two  leagues 
that  makes,  lacking  a  quarter.  'Tis  a  good  house,  going 
to  ruin,  a  piece  back  from  the  road,  on  the  big  creek  where 
there  is  a  fallen  bridge  and  one  gives  a  turn  about  to 
ford  it." 

"Yes,  I  remember  now.  I  stopped  there  to  offer  them 
books  and  he  said  he  would  be  along  to-night.  The  be- 
lievers must  be  much  scattered  hereabouts." 

"Yes,  they  be  a  bit  sprinkled,  as  it  were,  but  they  are 
most  all  believers,  most  all  the  dwellers  hereabouts.  Did 
Mathathias  offer  you  coffee  ? ' ' 

"Yes,  he  gave  me  coffee,"  replied  Horacio  with  some 
surprise. 

*  *  There,  woman,  see  there !  I  maintain  it  and  I  ostain 
it — that  man  hadn't  ought  to  do  that!  But  it  seems  like 
he  wants  everybody  else  to  be  just  like  himself.  I  declare, 
it  ain't  Christian — no,  it  ain't!" 

"Maybe  he  don't  know  how  it  looks  and  what  harm 
he  might  do, ' '  suggested  the  wife  charitably,  as  she  flirted 
a  bit  of  a  dubious-looking  cloth  across  the  end  of  the  table, 
in  preparation  for  serving  Horacio 's  supper. 

"Capaz!"  retorted  the  man,  with  a  languid  show  of 
contempt.  "He  knows — no  one  better!  Ain 't  it  been  in 
his  family  these  three  generations  and  gone  down  to  the 
children  and  to  all  them  they  married  with?  And  now 


194  HORACIO 

the  Coutinhos  has  it  and  the  Portugals  and  that  girl  of 
Ferreira's.  No,  don't  tell  me  that  he  don't  know,  and  I 
say  as  how  that's  what  sets  the  Romanists  against  us. 
We've  got  to  be  awful  careful  when  everybody  is  a- 
looking  for  some  loose  end  to  get  a  hold  on. ' ' 

"I  do  not  understand.  What  is  it  all  about?"  de- 
manded Horacio  with  some  curiosity. 

"Why,  will  you  believe  it  that  that  fellow,  Mathathias 
— splendid  fellow,  ain't  he? — big  and  strong  and  fine- 
lookin' — you  wouldn't  never  believe  it! — he's  a  mor- 
phite." 

"Oh,  a  leper?"  asked  the  astonished  young  man. 

"Yes,  a  lepered,"  replied  his  host,  easily,  "he  and  his 
wife  and  all  those  fine  boys  of  hisn,  and  his  sisters  and 
his  brothers  and  his  cousins  and  uncles  and  aunts  and 
grandparents,  back  to  who  knows  where.  Why,  that 
fambly  was  rich,  young  man !  They  owned  this  land  here, 
and  all  the  land  up  these  waters,  and  down  to  the  Tiete. 
'Twas  six  leagues  and  more  to  ride  across  it  and  who 
knows  how  much  to  go  the  other  way.  But  it  seemed  like 
as  if  they  sorter  lost  their  grip  when  this  thing  come  into 
the  family  and  just  let  things  go  to  the  dogs,  selling  it 
off  bit  by  bit  or  trading  it  away,  until  now  they  have 
only  that  old  house — that  was  good  once — and  about  a 
thousand  acres  of  land  that  they  don't  do  nothin'  with 
worth  mentionin '. ' ' 

"Are  you  sure  it  is  really  leprosy  that  they  have?" 
asked  the  young  man  doubtfully. 

"Sure  enough  to  swear  to  it,"  replied  his  informant 
with  cheerful  grimness.  "Eitah!  Just  get  Mathathias 


THE  FIRST  SERMON  195 

to  roll  up  his  pants  legs!  He's  a  sight!  The  kids  are 
turning  blue  already,  if  you  look  close.  Oh,  it's  sure 
enough!  They  spent  an  enormous  pile  of  money 
a  doctorin',  but  it  wa'n't  no  good.  Then  Mathathias, 
when  he  seen  it  wouldn't  do,  just  turned  hard  and  bitter, 
and  now  a  queer  streak  is  on  him.  It  seems  just  as 
though  he  was  a-wanting  everybody  else  in  the  neighbor- 
hood to  be  like  him. 

"He  asks  everybody,  that  haint  no  necessity,  to  come 
in  and  have  a  cup  of  coffee,  especially  strangers,  and 
it's  shake  hands  and  shake  hands  and  more  coffee,  and 
shake  hands  again,  until  you'd  think  there  was  no  bet- 
ter fellow  in  the  Province — State,  I  mean.  I  can't  get 
over  callin'  it  'Province,'  you  know! 

"I  got  at  the  Reverend  Gentil,  last  time  he  was  here, 
for  to  have  a  talk  with  Mathathias,  but  he's  scared  to 
talk  with  him  about  it  for  fear  of  hurtin'  his  feelin's 
and  drivin'  him  away  from  religion.  He  goes  there 
himself  to  hold  services  and  eat,  and  even  spent  the 
night  there  once.  I'm  a-thinkin'  the  neighbors  ought  to 
do  something,  but  no  one  likes  to  make  the  first  move. 
That's  where  the  pig's  tail  twists!" 

"I  shall  speak  to  him  when  I  see  him,  if  you  are  cer- 
tain as  to  the  facts,"  said  Horacio  firmly. 

''Well,  I  don't  envy  you  your  job,  but  'quern  aconselha 
nao  paga  custas'  (he  who  gives  the  advice  does  not  pay 
the  bills)  as  the  sayin'  is.  You  can  ask  anybody  about 
the  facts.  I'm  not  the  only  one  who  knows  about  it.  I 
like  Mathathias.  I  always  liked  him,  except  for  that, 
and  it  does  seem  as  though  his  trouble  had  touched  him 


196  HORACIO 

here — "  and  he  put  his  fingers  significantly  to  his 
forehead. 

The  beans  and  rice  were  now  upon  the  table,  together 
with  a  chicken  which  had  been  slain  for  the  guest. 
Horacio  did  full  justice  to  the  repast,  aided  by  his  host, 
who  had  come  late  from  the  roca  and  had  not  dined. 
The  meal  was  half  over  when  a  clatter  of  hoofs  was 
heard  and  a  horseman  paused  at  the  door. 

"Ah,  there  is  Sor  Chico!  Dismount,  Sor  Chico,  and 
enter !  How  have  you  passed  ? ' ' 

"Well,  thank  you.    Are  you  well?    Are  all  well?" 

"All  well,  thank  you.  Have  you  dined?  No?  Then 
you  are  just  in  time.  Sinha!  another  plate  for  Sor 
Chico!" 

A  tall,  thin,  Don-Quixote-sort-of-a  man  divested  him- 
self of  his  heavy  pala  and,  having  given  a  hand  around 
sat  down  on  the  chair  that  was  offered  to  him  as  though 
his  hinges  were  rusty,  and  drew  a  groan  from  some- 
where back  of  his  wry  visage. 

"What,  not  rid  of  the  fever  yet?"  exclaimed  Sor 
Bufino,  in  cheerful  sympathy. 

"No,  I'm  not  rid  of  it  yet.  'Tis  six  weeks  now  that  it 
is  hounding  me.  Aches  and  pains  in  my  bones,  head- 
aches, can't  eat,  can't  do  anything!" 

"Oughtn't  to  be  out  in  the  dew-f allin ', "  suggested 
Sor  Rufino  tentatively. 

"Worship  is  more  important  than  bodily  health," 
rejoined  the  other  in  a  melancholy  tone. 

"Seems  like  as  though  we  can  worship  better  when 
we  are  well.  Leastways,  that's  how  it  strikes  me." 


TEE  FIRST  SERMON  197 

"I  am  in  hearty  accord  with  that  sentiment,"  «aid 
Horacio,  smiling. 

The  long  man  moved  his  hands  aside  to  make  room  for 
the  plate  which  was  placed  before  him;  then,  disregard- 
ing the  probability  that  grace  had  already  been  asked, 
joined  them  together  over  it  and  interrupted  some  state- 
ment of  Sor  Rufino  with  a  second  invocation,  loud  and 
lengthy.  He  then  fell  to  upon  what  there  was  remaining 
of  the  meal  in  a  fashion  which  betrayed  at  least  a  tran- 
sient alleviation  of  his  loss  of  appetite. 

Various  believers  now  began  to  ride  or  walk  up  to  the 
door,  according  as  their  homes  were  far  or  near.  The 
table  having  been  cleared  of  the  dishes,  it  was  moved  to 
the  end  of  the  sala  and  a  clean  towel,  with  crotcheted 
ends  hanging  down,  was  disposed  across  its  center.  Upon 
this  was  placed  a  large  Bible,  a  hymn-book  and  two 
candles.  Benches,  chairs,  stools,  boxes,  and  boards  laid 
across  blocks  of  wood  were  arranged  in  front  of  this  im- 
promptu pulpit,  and  Horacio  was  then  invited  to  take 
charge  of  the  service.  The  hymns  were  sung  with  a 
hearty  good-will  and  thorough  enjoyment,  and  when  he 
had  read  the  Scripture-lesson  Horacio  looked  about  over 
his  little  audience  and  prepared  to  preach  his  first  ser- 
mon. 

At  the  close  of  his  address  a  woman  rose  hastily  to  her 
feet  and  exclaimed,  "Look  here,  now,  you  people  have 
this  religion,  and  that's  all  right,  but  you  know  every- 
body here  has  religion  too.  You  just  keep  still  and  we 
don't  mind  at  all,  but  we  don't  like  you  to  say  anything 
about  it." 


198  HORACIO 

She  sat  down  in  a  great  flutter,  but  apparently  quite 
persuaded  that  she  had  forever  settled  the  serious  ques- 
tions which  had  long  been  agitating  the  neighborhood. 

Late  that  night,  after  all  were  gone  save  the  long, 
thin  man  with  the  melancholy  visage  and  the  ailment, 
and  Horacio  had  already  lain  sleeping  for  an  hour  or 
so  in  the  bit  of  a  chinky  room  off  the  sala  which  they  had 
given  him,  he  awoke  with  a  start  and  that  conviction  that 
he  had  been  snoring  which  sometimes  comes  to  us  as  a 
last,  lingering  rattle  dies  away  in  our  waking  throats. 

The  voice  of  his  gossipy  host  fell  on  his  ears :  ' '  Now, 
do  you  think  so?  As  for  me,  I  liked  it  very  well.  To 
be  sure,  the  text  was  not  a  new  one — John  3 :16,  but  all 
he  said  was  plain  and  simple,  and  even  the  kids  could 
take  it  in.'5 

"A  talk  for  children!  Just  so!  That  was  just  what 
I  didn't  like!  All  gospel  and  nothing — well — doctrinal, 
I  suppose  I  may  say.  Now,  there  is  the  Reverend 
Gentil!  He  is  just  the  man  for  me." 

"He's  all  right,  to  be  sure,"  replied  the  other;  "words 
just  run  out  of  him  like  water  down  the  corrego.  He 
don't  need  to  do  any  thinkin'  for  him  to  talk.  There 
ain't  a  word  he  says  has  less'n  seven  syllables  in  it,  I 
fancy." 

"A  fine  choice  of  words  indeed,"  responded  the  long 
man  in  a  tone  which  seemed  to  have  been  brought  on 
by  his  ailment.  "Gives  one  food  for  thought.  Why,  I 
spend  hours — hours?  yes,  days,  I  tell  you — in  thinking 
of  what  he  said  and  trying  to  make  out  what  he  meant. 
Why,  I  can't  find  some  of  the  words  in  my 


THE  FIRST  SERMON  199 

dictionary,  and  it's  a  good  one  too,  whereas  this 
youngster  just  used  common,  everyday  words  and  I 
could  tell  in  a  minute  just  what  he  was  trying  to  get  at 
without  doing  any  thinking  at  all.  He  didn't  have  a 
black  coat  either. ' ' 

Horacio  lost  the  rest  of  what  was  said,  for  he  fell 
asleep  again,  but  when  he  awoke  the  next  morning  it  was 
still  fresh  in  his  memory  and  he  determined  to  think 
about  it  as  he  journeyed  and  decide  wherein  he  had 
fallen  short. 


xn, 

AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE. 

THE  NEXT  morning  the  long  man  with  the  ailment  ac- 
companied Horacio  for  a  few  leagues  on  his  way,  after 
both  had  made  the  rounds  of  the  houses  in  the  hamlet, 
embracing  all  the  men  and  accepting  coffee  from  each 
housekeeper.  Their  host  accompanied  them  upon  these 
visits  of  ceremony,  and  at  last  bade  them  farewell  with 
cordial  embraces. 

"Adeus!  Adeus!  and  a  thousand  thanks!"  cried 
Horacio,  riding  off. 

"Until  to-morrow,"  cried  the  long  man,  who  was  to 
return  that  way  when  he  had  attended  to  some  business 
down  the  road,  "if  God  wills;  and  if  not,  until  the  day 
after,"  and  he  too  rode  off. 

A  distant  thunder-storm  grumbled  gloomily  from  over 
the  forest,  in  the  direction  of  the  Tiete,  but  the  young 
man  was  due  at  a  certain  sitio  that  same  evening  and 
could  not  delay  his  journey,  so  they  set  off,  accompanied 
also  by  the  gloomy  grumbling  of  the  long  gentleman  with 
the  ailment. 

"Father  Joao,  of  Jahu,  is  holding  a  'mission*  hard 
by,  in  the  New  Chapel,"  said  Sor  Chico,  as  they  jogged 
along,  jerking  his  thumb  toward  a  cross-road  to  indicate 
the  direction.  "They  are  getting  worked  up  over  this 

200 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE  201 

district  and  want  to  try  and  bring  it  back  again  into 
the  fold." 

"Is  it  far  to  the  chapel?"  asked  Horacio,  attracted 
by  the  name  of  his  ancient  enemy  and  wondering  if  their 
paths  were  to  cross  again  in  this  manner. 

"Far?  No!  It  stands  down  by  this  road  a  quarter 
of  a  league  or  so.  Don't  you  want  to  sell  some  Bibles 
to  him?"  and  the  long  man  chuckled  sadly. 

Horacio  smiled  in  answer,  then  suddenly  checked  his 
horse.  "It  is  going  to  rain,"  he  said,  glancing  uneasily 
at  the  sky.  "Let  us  turn  back  to  the  chapel  and  hear 
Father  Joao :  I  don't  want  to  wet  my  books,  and  I  should 
like  to  hear  what  he  has  to  say  if  I  can  slip  into  a  shady 
corner;  for  I  know  his  Reverence  very  well  and  do  not 
care  to  have  him  see  me." 

His  companion  seemed  nothing  loath  to  beard  the 
lion,  for  the  clouds  were  gathering  rapidly  and  the  first 
drops  had  already  begun  to  fall.  Together  they  turned 
their  horses '  heads  toward  the  cross-roads,  and  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  later,  as  the  rain  began  to  fall  heavily,  they 
drew  up  under  the  great  shed,  or  rancho,  hard  by  the 
chapel,  and  made  their  horses  fast  among  a  half -hundred 
others  before  they  entered  the  little  church. 

The  priest  was  mounting  the  pulpit  for  his  sermon  as 
they  entered.  The  long  man  drew  Horacio  into  a  shad- 
owy corner,  although  the  whole  church  was  dark  be- 
cause of  the  storm,  and  whispered  in  his  ear,  "'Tis  a 
good  Presbyterian  audience  come  to  hear  him!  There 
are  Julho  and  Mario  and  Augustinho  and  a  dozen  more 
beside;  but  there  are  no  women  here  excepting  Roman- 


202  EORACIO 

ists.  I  wonder  what  Father  Joao  expects  to  do  with  our 
people.  I  expect — " 

The  voice  of  the  priest  interrupted  the  long  man,  who 
drew  back  into  his  corner  to  listen  unobserved.  Father 
Joao's  voice  was  clear  and  pleasant  and  his  well-rounded 
and  stalwart  figure  protruded  magnificently  from  the 
pulpit  as  he  leaned  out  over  his  audience. 

"My  children,"  he  began,  "once  upon  a  time  there 
was  a  dirty  monk  called  Luther,  the  same  who  is  the 
spiritual  father  of  the  blowhard  Protestant  preachers, 
and  consequently  father-in-law  to  the  petticoated 
shepherdesses  of  the  reformed  religion;  and  this  monk 
was  crazy  to  get  married. 

"Of  course  he  was  not  able  to  do  this  because,  at  the 
time  in  which  he  lived,  the  only  known  form  of  marriage 
was  that  administered  by  the  Roman  Church.  Besides 
this,  Brother  Luther  was  very  poor  and  he  would  have 
to  support  the  future  dear-half  and  also  the  pack  of 
babies  that  might  come. 

"So  Brother  Martin  said  to  himself,  'I  will  invent  a 
new  religion,  in  order  that  I  may  have  the  means  to 
eat,  drink  and  sleep  my  fill.  I,  she,  and  those  that  may 
be  added  to  us  will  pass  the  time  more  happily  than  can 
be  imagined.  In  order  to  accomplish  these  things  I 
shall  take  a  Bible  and  translate  it  according  to  my  views 
and  plans.  I  shall  alter  its  punctuation  and  take  out  all 
the  texts  that  may  not  accord  with  the  doctrine  which  I 
am  going  to  teach  the  people.  In  place  of  these  texts  I 
shall  insert  others  which  suit  my  purpose  better  and 
accord  with  that  new  life  which  I  shall  lead  when  I 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE  203 

have  laid  aside  this  insupportable  frock  and  hung  it  upon 
the  last  nail  I  find  as  I  go  out  of  the  door  of  this  detest- 
able convent,  to  throw  myself  body  and  soul  into  the 
free  air,  where  I  shall  live  happily  and  light  of  heart 
as  a  little  bird  out  of  its  cage. 

"And  in  order  that  I  may  bring  many  people  to  my 
way  of  thinking,  I  shall  lay  down  as  the  fundamental 
dogma  of  my  new  religion  the  principle  of  Justification 
by  Faith — teaching  that  man  may  cover  himself  with 
vices  and  become  the  greatest  wretch  on  earth,  but  never- 
theless he  will  certainly  go  to  heaven  if  he  only  have — 
FAITH! 

"  'To  loose-minded  priests  I  shall  say  that  they  must 
forsake,  once  and  for  all,  this  folly  of  ecclesiastical  celi- 
bacy, and  put  in  practice  that  patriotic  text  which  says, 
"Increase  and  multiply." 

"  'With  these  doctrines — insuring  the  most  ample  lib- 
erty— I  am  sure  that  in  a  short  time  I  shall  have  running 
after  me  a  great  number  of  dissolute  padres,  an  infinite 
multitude  of  criminals  of  all  classes,  and  a  vast  army 
of  lost  women,  which  will  swell  the  ranks  of  the  believers 
of  the  true  gospel,  which  I  intend  to  found.' 

"Thus  spake  Luther,  and  acted  accordingly,  and  in 
this  way  he  built  up  that  sect  of  which  we  hear  by  the 
name  of  Protestants,  who  are,  finally,  nothing  more  than 
the  receptacle  for  the  dregs  of  Komanism,  which  pours 
into  this  unclean  vessel  all  that  which  is  without  value  in 
the  pure  and  holy  Catholic  Church.  All  this  I  defy 
any  one  to  contradict ! ' ' 

The  priest  paused  and  gazed  triumphantly  about.    At 


204  HORACIO 

his  last  words  and  challenge  to  the  people,  Horacio,  who 
had  been  smothering  his  indignation  with  a  great  effort 
throughout  the  discourse,  sprang  forward,  but  the  long 
man's  tentacle-like  arm  shot  out  and  drew  him  back 
into  the  shadow. 

Shaking  his  head  dolefully  at  the  lad,  Sor  Chico  strode 
forth  into  the  middle  of  the  church,  drawing  a  book  from 
his  capacious  pocket. 

"Here  is  Luther's  Bible!"  he  cried,  waving  it  in  the 
air,  "and  here  is  what  it  says  on  the  doctrine  of  Justi- 
fication by  Faith:  'Faith  without  works  is  DEAD!'  I 
denounce  the  statement  made  by  Father  Joao  as  a  base 
and  malicious  falsehood,  and  challenge  him  to  produce 
a  Komanist  Bible — if  he  has  one — and  show  me  wherein 
it  differs  essentially  from  this." 

The  meager  form  of  the  long  man  with  the  ailment 
seemed  to  swell  into  imposing  proportions.  His  eye 
flashed  fire  and  he  waved  the  Bible  menacingly  toward 
Father  Joao.  In  a  moment  the  church  was  in  an  up- 
roar. The  Protestants,  restrained  until  now  by  the  in- 
fluence of  what  was,  at  least  in  name,  a  sanctuary,  burst 
into  cries  of  applause  and  loud  vivas:  the  Catholics,  on 
the  other  hand,  indignant  at  what  seemed  to  them  an 
outrage  and  profanation,  and  forgetting  that  Padre 
Joao  himself  had  challenged  the  refutation  of  his  own 
statements,  drew  heavy  whips  and  great  knives  for  the 
vindication  of  their  creed.  In  a  moment  there  might 
have  been  bloodshed,  had  not  the  priest  himself  hurried 
down  from  the  pulpit  and  thrust  his  burly  form  between 
them.  It  was  not  to  his  interest  to  have  the  responsibil- 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE  205 

ity  for  a  scene  of  this  kind  in  a  neighborhood  where 
four-fifths  of  the  inhabitants  were  Protestants,  so  he 
chose  the  alternative  of  hurrying  the  opposition  forth 
from  the  building,  in  the  interest  of  peace,  and,  when 
quiet  had  been  restored  at  last,  went  on  with  his  dis- 
course to  his  own  liking,  but  minus  the  larger  part  of  his 
audience. 

In  the  bustle  and  confusion  of  this  incident  Horacio 
had  slipped  out  to  the  shed,  where  he  was  now  rejoined 
by  the  long  man,  and,  as  the  shower  had  ceased,  they 
mounted  and  continued  on  their  way. 

At  the  house  of  a  believer  where  Horacio  breakfasted 
his  companion  bade  him  farewell  and  turned  off  upon 
another  road,  while  the  young  man  went  straight  on. 

Jogging  along  upon  his  way,  he  was  easily  overtaken 
by  a  young  caboclo  going  in  the  same  direction  and  not 
so  much  inclined  to  spare  his  beast. 

"Good  afternoon!"  said  Horacio  pleasantly. 

"Good  afternoon!"  replied  the  other,  looking  at  him 
with  that  infantile  curiosity  which  every  stranger  calls 
forth  in  a  countryman.  The  caboclo  reined  his  horse 
back  to  keep  abreast  of  the  colporter. 

"Are  you  peddling?  Have  you  shirts?"  he  asked, 
eyeing  the  saddle-bags. 

"No,"  answered  Horacio,  "I  have  no  shirts.  I  am 
selling  books.  Can  you  read?" 

"Yes,  a  little,  but  I  don't  read  often — only  a  stray 
newspaper,  once  in  a  while,  when  I  get  hold  of  it. 
What  books  have  you?" 

"Only  the  Bible,  now,   and  hymn-books.     The  rest 


206  IIORACIO 

are  all  sold.  Have  you  ever  fallen  in  with  these 
Protestants?" 

"Oh,  yes!  There's  a  lot  of  them  hereabouts.  I  hain't 
got  nothin'  agin'  'em." 

"Did  you  ever  talk  with  them  about  what  they  be- 
lieve?'' urged  the  young  man,  as  he  saw  that  his  com- 
panion was  not  disinclined  to  conversation. 

"I  can't  say  as  I  have,  very  much,"  replied  the 
young  countryman.  "It  don't  bother  me  what  folks 
think  as  long  as  they  treat  me  decent. ' ' 

"Perhaps  it  ought  to  bother  you  though,"  insisted 
the  student.  "If  a  man  were  thinking  that  he  had 
left  ten  contos  of  reis  in  that  hollow  log  for  you, 
wouldn't  it  be  worth  while  paying  attention  to  what 
he  thought?" 

The  caboclo  laughed.  ' '  No  such  luck, ' '  he  said ; ' '  folks 
ham 't  leavin '  fortunes  around  like  that  in  hollow  logs, ' ' 
and  he  cocked  his  eye  knowingly  at  the  log,  as  though 
to  size  up  its  capacity. 

"There!"  said  Horacio,  laughing,  "you  are  think- 
ing about  that  imaginary  fortune  already.  Just  look 
here!  In  this  little  book  you  can  learn  how  to  find 
a  much  greater  fortune  than  that.  I  want  to  sell  it 
to  you!" 

The  caboclo 's  eyes  opened  with  wonder.  "What 
might  it  be?"  he  asked  with  awe;  then,  brightening 
with  supposed  understanding,  "Tells  you  how  to  pick 
the  lucky  numbers  in  the  Lottery,  no?" 

"Better  than  that!  It  tells  you  how  to  come  to  the 
City  with  streets  of  gold  and  walls  of  jasper,  whose 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE  207 

gates  are  gems,  and  where  everybody  is  happy  forever. 
It  tells  how  to  be  rid  of  our  sins  and  find  a  Saviour — 
and  all  for  a  mil  five!'' 

"A  mil  five!"  cried  the  astonished  caboclo;  "why, 
it's  all  leather  and  gold!  You're  joking!  You  can't 
sell  it  for  three  milreis,  I  know.  I'll  give  you  that  much 
for  it!" 

"No,"  said  the  colporter,  "I  only  want  a  mil  five 
— no  more  and  no  less.  Is  it  a  bargain?" 

The  young  fellow  took  the  book  and  turned  the  leaves 
with  curiosity,  then  drew  two  dirty  notes  from  his  pock- 
et and  handed  them  to  Horacio.  ' '  Here ! "  he  said,  eyeing 
him  doubtfully,  for  fear  it  might  be  a  hoax. 

Horacio  took  the  money  and  bade  him  find  a  place, 
past  the  middle  of  the  book,  where  it  said  "Sao 
Mattheus,"  to  begin  his  reading. 

At  this  moment  they  passed  a  turn  of  the  road  and 
came  in  sight  of  a  little  cabin  in  the  midst  of  a  small 
clearing.  In  the  roga,  far  away,  a  woman  was  work- 
ing with  a  hoe.  From  the  cabin  came  the  sound  of 
singing,  and  the  cheerful  notes  of  a  lively  Protestant 
hymn,  sweet  and  familiar,  reached  the  ears  of  the 
horsemen. 

"Let  us  stop  here!"  said  the  colporter  to  his  com- 
panion, "I  may  sell  some  books.  Oh,  the  house!"  he 
called. 

The  singing  continued,  but  at  a  second  cry  it  sud- 
denly ceased.  Horacio  approached  nearer  to  the  door. 

"Give  license?"  he  inquired. 

"Why  not?"  came  in  a  cheerful  voice  from  within. 


208  lluRACLO 

"Have  the  goodness  to  dismount  and  enter!  Excuse, 
for  I  can't  go  forth  to  meet  you." 

Horacio  and  his  companion  dismounted  and  entered. 
The  house  was  more  than  usually  neat.  The  sala, 
or  living-room,  in  which  they  now  stood,  was  floored 
with  good  sawn  planks,  and  the  walls  were  white- 
washed around.  Overhead  a  ceiling  of  woven  rushes 
gave  the  place  an  air  of  finish,  and  in  the  middle  of 
the  room  stood  a  section  of  a  great  log,  hollowed  out 
like  a  canoe  and  full  of  water.  In  the  water  sat  a 
middle-aged  man,  with  a  wooden  tray  across  the  log 
in  front  of  him,  on  which  were  placed  a  Bible  and  a 
little  hymn-book. 

"Have  the  goodness  to  excuse,"  said  the  man  again; 
"I  can't  leave  the  water  very  well.  You  see,  I  have 
the  fogo  selvagem  (wild-fire.)  " 

Horacio  now  noticed  that  the  man's  skin  was  a  deep 
color  of  inflammation,  as  though  he  had  been  stung 
by  nettles. 

"Are  you  poisoned?  he  asked  sympathetically,  seat- 
ing himself  upon  a  bench. 

"Some  sort  of  poison,  I  suppose,"  replied  the  man. 
"No  one  knows  just  what  it  comes  from,  but  it  never 
leaves  a  man  until  it  finishes  him,"  he  went  on  with 
the  same  air  of  cheerfulness  as  if  the  new  faces  had 
momentarily  lessened  the  suffering:. 

"Does  it  pain  you  much?"  asked  the  caboclo  with 
interest. 

"Oh,  it's  not  so  very  bad  as  long  as  I  can  stay  in  the 
water.  When  I  get  out  it  is  like  a  thousand  needles 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE  209 

stinging  day  and  night;  but — praise  the  Lord! — it  ain't 
as  bad  as  it  might  be." 

"But  how  do  you  get  along?  Are  you  all  alone?" 
asked  Horacio,  full  of  wonder. 

"No,  no — praise  the  Lord!  My  good  woman  works 
in  the  roc.a,  and  at  night  when  she  comes  home  she 
fixes  up  the  house.  I  do  what  I  can  at  the  sewing,  though 
it  isn't  much.  Praise  the  Lord !  we  have  no  children  now 
to  make  matters  worse,  although  there  are  three  laid 
away  in  the  ground.  We  have  all  we  need,  and  when 
I  am  gone  her  folks  are  well  enough  able  to  take  her  in. 
I  have  these  blessed  books,  and  yet  I  was  grumbling 
just  now  because,  although  I  can  read  the  words,  I  have 
only  this  little  hymn-book  without  the  music.  I  know  no 
more  than  a  half-dozen  tunes  that  my  wife  learned  at 
the  meeting.  But — praise  the  Lord! — what  a  state  I 
should  be  in  if  I  didn  't  know  any ! 

"Can  you  read  the  music?"  asked  Horacio,  with  a 
curious  tug  at  his  heart. 

"That  I  can!"  replied  the  sick  man.  "I  learned  to 
play  the  horn  years  ago,  in  the  band  at  Rio  Claro,  but  I 
have  never  yet  seen  a  hymn-book  with  music." 

"I  have  one  in  my  saddle-bags  now,"  said  the  col- 
porter.  "I  shall  fetch  it  for  you."  He  turned  and  went 
out.  "Twelve  milreis!  Twelve  milreis!"  he  kept  saying 
to  himself  as  he  went. 

Of  all  his  books  the  hymn-books  alone  cost  him  any- 
thing, the  others  being  furnished  gratis  to  the  theologi- 
cal students  to  help  them  out  in  their  course.  On  the 
hymn-book  the  margin  of  profit  was  very  small  and 


210  HORACIO 

the  prices  were  high.  For  this  book  at  twelve  milreis 
he  must  pay  ten  milreis  on  his  return,  yet  the  sight  of 
this  poor  man  in  his  great  tub  of  water  was  too  much 
for  him. 

Beturning  to  the  house  with  the  book  in  his  hand,  he 
reached  it  out  to  the  sick  man.  "Take  it,"  he  said,  "it 
is  yours ! ' ' 

The  poor  wretch  in  the  tub  grasped  the  precious 
book  with  trembling  hands  and  turned  its  leaves  with 
eager  haste,  then  looked  anxiously  toward  the  giver. 

"But  you  have  them  to  sell?  You  are  a  poor  man 
also?  No,  I  cannot  take  it  without  payment.  I  have 
money.  I  shall  pay  you.  What  does  it  cost?" 

"That  is  no  matter,"  replied  Horacio,  flushing  at 
thought  of  revealing  the  price  of  the  book. 

The  man  seemed  to  divine  his  thought.  "Tell  me,  or 
I  cannot  accept  it,"  he  said  seriously. 

"I  sell  them  for  twelve  milreis  ($3.00).  They  are 
not  cheap,"  said  the  young  man,  after  a  pause  and  a 
moment  of  hesitation.  He  saw  in  the  face  of  the  sick 
man  the  effect  of  his  words — a  cloud  which  passed  over 
it  on  hearing  the  sum  named. 

"Let  us  arrange  it  another  way,"  he  suggested,  as  a 
thought  struck  him,  "the  senhor  will  pay  me  one  half 
and  I  shall  present  him  with  the  other. ' ' 

The  man's  face  instantly  brightened  and  the  cloud 
passed  from  it.  "Go  to  the  shelf,"  he  said,  pointing 
toward  it,  "and  you  will  find  some  money  in  a  bowl. 
Take  the  six-milreis,  and  may  God  bless  you!  Twelve 
was  more  than  you  or  I  could  afford,  I  fancy,  but  I  ac- 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE  211 

eept  with  pleasure  the  half  of  the  book,"  and  he  began 
humming  a  snatch  of  a  hymn  here  and  there  as  he 
turned  the  leaves  caressingly. 

"Now  I  shall  sing  you  something  you  may  not  have 
heard.  It  is  new  among  us.  Turn  to  number  403, "  said 
Horacio,  and  then  he  sang : 

"I  am  far  frae  my  hame,  and 
I'm  weary  a  f  ten  whiles 
For    the  langed — for  hame — bringin' 
An'  my  Father's  welcome  smiles." 

This  hymn  has  been  translated  into  Portuguese,  to  a 
suitable  meter,  and  is  sung  to  "Suwanee  River." 

The  poor  sufferer  followed  the  words  with  rapt  at- 
tention, exclaiming  at  last,  "Sou  eu!  Sou  eu!  It  is  I!" 
in  a  voice  chocked  with  emotion,  while  tears  which 
the  fogo  selvagem  could  not  bring  to  his  eyes  ran  down 
his  cheeks  and  mingled  with  the  water  in  which  he 
quenched  the  fire  of  his  malady. 

The  young  men  now  arose  to  take  their  departure, 
much  to  the  regret  of  the  invalid,  who  urged  them  to 
await  his  wife's  coming,  when  she  would  prepare  coffee 
for  them.  Time  pressed,  however,  and  they  could  not 
wait,  so  they  bade  the  man  farewell  and  mounted  their 
horses,  but,  before  they  were  out  of  hearing,  the  voice  of 
the  sufferer  was  heard  singing  cheerfully: 

"I  have  found  a  friend  in  Jesus; 
He's  everything  to  me: 
He's  the  chiefest  of  ten  thousand  to  my  soul!" 

"He  has  found  the  tune  on  the  opposite  page,  number 
402,  and  it  will  comfort  him,"  said  Horacio,  laughing 
contentedly. 


212  HORACIO 

"Do  you  know  the  whole  book?"  asked  his  companion 
wonderingly. 

"Pretty  nearly,"  replied  Horacio,  "but  there  are 
many  hymns  and  some  of  them  are  very  fine.  The  Prot- 
estants sing  them  in  their  meetings.  Do  you  appreciate 
music?" 

"Yes,  I  like  it.  I  play  the  viola  a  little  and  can  sing 
some  modinhas  passably  well,  but  I  should  like  to  learn 
these  here  hymns  if  they  can  make  that  poor  fellow 
merry." 

"Come  with  me  to  Sor  Erasmo's  to-night  and  you  will 
hear  plenty,  and  also  other  good  things,  the  way  of  life 
and  the  secret  of  happiness.  Do  you  believe  in  God  ? ' ' 

"Yes,  I  believe  there  is  a  God — else  how  could  we 
live?  But  I  know  nothing  of  him  save  what  the  padres 
say,  and  they  are  always  talking  of  the  Saints  and  Virgin 
and  fingering  the  pennies  with  their  sticky  fingers.  What 
does  it  cost  to  be  a  Protestant?" 

"It  costs  nothing.    The  religion  of  Jesus  is  free." 

"What!  does  it  cost  nothing  to  be  baptized  or  married 
or  buried?" 

"Nothing  whatever.  You  may  give  of  your  own  free 
will  to  help  sustain  the  cause,  but  that  is  all.  Repent  of 
your  sins  and  accept  the  sacrifice  of  Christ,  then  confess 
his  name.  That  is  what  it  takes  to  be  a  Protestant." 

"I  will  think  about  it,  but  cannot  go  with  you  to- 
night. I  turn  off  here  and  must  play  at  a  baile  near  by 
but  I'll  go  some  other  time.  Do  you  know  your  road 
to  Sor  Erasmo's?"  he  concluded,  as  he  turned  his  horse's 
head  at  the  cross-roads  and  drew  rein  for  a  moment. 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE  213 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  Horacio,  pulling  at  Bonito's  rein, 
' '  and  if  not,  I  have  a  map  and  compass  and  can  find  it. ' ' 

"Do  not  kill  any  rattlesnakes  by  the  way  then,"  said 
the  caboclo  gravely. 

"Why  not?"  inquired  the  other  in  surprise. 

' '  They  say  the  venom  of  the  snake  will  take  the  power 
out  of  the  needle,  if  any  one  who  has  a  compass  kills 
one." 

Horacio  laughed.  "I  have  no  fear  of  that!  Well, 
good-by!  A  pleasant  ride  to  you!  Do  not  forget  to 
read  the  Book!"  and  he  leaned  across  from  his  horse 
to  shake  hands  warmly  and  spurred  on  his  way. 

The  caboclo  turned  also,  then  shouted  back  over  his 
shoulder  to  Horacio,  who  checked  his  horse  to  hear  what 
he  had  to  say. 

"Better  keep  a-movin'!"  called  the  young  country- 
man. "There's  a  bad  place  on  the  road  this  side  of  Sor 
Erasmo's." 

* '  What  is  it,  a  mud-hole  ? ' '  asked  the  colporter. 

"No,  it  is  far  worse!  There  was  a  man  had  a  grudge 
against  another  man  and  killed  him:  then  he  cut  the 
corpse  in  pieces  and  hung  them  there,  on  the  branches 
of  a  tree  by  the  road.  '9 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  a  dead  man,"  said  Horacio, 
laughing  at  the  awe  in  the  caboclo 's  voice  and  manner : 
"I  have  been  a  soldier.  Is  that  all?" 

"No,  it  is  not  all.  A  neighbor  went  to  hew  out  a 
monjolo  close  by  the  spot,  and  when  he  had  worked 
three  or  four  weeks  and  finished  it,  he  went  to  fetch  his 
oxen  and  drag  it  out,  but  when  he  came  back  with  the 


214  EORACIO 

team,  there  was  the  devil,  or  the  spirit  of  the  dead  man, 
in  the  form  of  a  goat,  on  top  of  the  monjolo.  He  got  out 
of  there  as  fast  as  he  could  with  his  oxen  and  left  it 
where  it  lay.  You  can  see  it  there  yet,  all  rotten. ' ' 

Horacio  laughed  again,  to  the  great  scandal  of  his 
new  friend,  and  thanked  him  for  his  warning,  leaving 
him  shaking  his  head  dubiously  at  his  incredulity. 


XIII. 
JUDGMENT. 

THE  excitement  at  the  chapel  having  been  quieted,  and 
the  sermon  resumed,  no  further  interruption  disturbed 
Father  Joao,  so  he  was  able,  as  we  have  said,  to  finish 
his  address  to  his  own  entire  satisfaction  and  to  the 
evident  edification  of  his  audience,  now  relieved  of  dis- 
senting elements. 

After  descending  from  the  pulpit  the  great  priest, 
whose  bulk  had  been  somewhat  softened  into  podginess 
by  advancing  years  and  self-indulgence,  stood  about  and 
chatted  with  various  groups,  discussing  the  incident 
which  had  disturbed  the  harmony  of  the  meeting,  slap- 
ping men  heartily  on  their  backs,  chucking  maids  under 
their  chins  and  joking  the  mothers  about  their  husbands 
and  babies. 

There  was  a  batch  of  these  last  to  be  christened  and 
two  or  three  couples  to  be  married,  as  well  as  a  dinner  to 
be  eaten  at  a  neighbor's. 

The  babies  were  soon  disposed  of,  and  the  fat  fees, 
for  big  and  little  babies  alike,  jingled  in  the  pockets  of 
the  good  padre's  soutane.  The  weddings  waited  not  for 
the  civil  ceremony,  although  the  ecclesiastic  knew 
enough  common  law  to  be  perfectly  well  aware  that  his 
form  of  words  was  legally  valueless  without  it.  His 

215 


216  HORACIO 

charge  was  the  same  in  either  case,  and  his  hearty  laugh 
shook  the  tiles  on  their  bamboo  slats  above  his  head 
when  some  one  hinted  of  the  necessity  for  going  first  to 
the  magistrate. 

The  laugh  shook*  the  last  lingering  doubts  out  of  the 
minds  of  the  faithful  and  was  frank  and  hearty  enough 
to  restore  confidence  even  to  a  woman  in  hysterics.  The 
priest  had  soon  cleared  these  little  matters  out  of  the 
way  and  was  on  his  way  to  dine  with  a  well-to-do  planter 
in  the  vicinity. 

' '  What  is  not  on  the  table  is  excused, ' '  said  the  padre, 
by  way  of  grace,  as  he  glanced  at  the  loaded  table  and 
heaved  a  sigh  of  satisfaction,  for  he  had  labored  well  and 
felt  that  he  had  demolished  all  the  fortifications  of  the 
enemy  and  deserved  his  reward.  The  viands  were  cer- 
tainly abundant,  if  not  very  choice  and  delicate. 

"Sample  this  pinga,  Father  Joao!"  cried  his  host, 
pouring  into  a  large  glass  the  transparent  liquid  which 
conceals  such  deadly  effects  in  such  innocent  guise.  "It 
is  a  special  brand  of  my  own.  Eitah!  what  a  flavor!" 
and  he  smacked  his  lips  and  rolled  his  eyes  in  apprecia- 
tion of  his  own  product,  as  he  handled  the  brimming 
glass  to  the  padre. 

The  priest's  rotund  face  took  on  a  tragic  look  of  mild 
despair  which  was  almost  pitiful.  "God  gives  nuts 
to  him  who  has  no  teeth,  and  teeth  to  him  who  has  no 
nuts,"  he  said,  with  another  sigh:  "the  doctor,  alas! 
has  ordered  me  to  leave  off  pinga  to  reduce  my  bulk." 
Then  his  face  cleared  and  he  measured  his  great  girth 
as  far  as  he  could  with  his  two  hands.  "I've  quit  for 


JUDGMENT  217 

two  weeks,  now,"  he  went  on  joyfully,  "and  gone  down 
three  centimeters — think  of  that!" 

"Ah,  that  is  nothing,  nothing  at  all,"  said  the  other. 
"You  could  squeeze  yourself  in  more  than  that  with 
the  tape-line  without  knowing  it.  Better  throw  your 
doctor  over  and  take  a  drink ! ' ' 

Father  Joao  gazed  wistfully  at  the  glass  which  stood 
before  him  on  the  table  and  for  a  moment  he  wavered, 
but  his  host  took  pity  on  him  at  last  and  cried  out, 
"Come,  my  father,  here  is  a  religious  duty  for  your 
Reverence  to  perform!  Drown  the  devil  and  see  the 
Blessed  Virgin,"  and  he  handed  him  a  porcelain  cup 
filled  with  red  wine. 

' '  How  is  that  ? ' '  cried  the  priest  with  a  perplexed  grin 
— the  perplexity  at  the  man's  saying,  and  the  grin  at 
the  wine.  "Ha,  ha!  I  see  now!  But  where  is  the 
Blessed  Virgin?" 

" Drown  the  devil  and  you  will  see  her!  Tip  it  up, 
Father  Joao,  tip  it  up ! " 

The  priest  "tipped  it  up"  with  a  hearty  good-will, 
and  as  the  grateful  liquor  passed  gurgling  over  the 
devil  that  was  painted  on  the  inside  edge  of  the  cup,  a 
figure  of  the  Virgin  appeared  painted  on  the  bottom. 
At  sight  of  her  the  priest  took  in  the  point  of  the  joke 
with  the  wine,  and  gave  a  snort  of  appreciation,  taking 
a  generous  gulp  of  the  liquor  the  wrong  way  at  the 
same  time. 

Instantly  he  was  coughing  and  sputtering  and  laugh- 
ing all  at  once,  while  his  host  slapped  him  on  the  back 
to  bring  him  to,  and  cried,  "Pretty  good,  isn't  it?  I 


218  EORACIO 

thought  you  would  like  that!  I  brought  it  from  town 
yesterday  just  for  your  Reverence." 

"You  must  give  it  to  me  then,  my  son,"  said  Father 
Joao,  when  he  had  recovered  a  little.  "In  my  business 
one  needs  oft  to  drown  the  devil,"  and  he  winked  slyly 
at  his  host 

Then  ensued  such  a  drowning  of  Satan  that  even  an 
electric  battery  would  not  have  sufficed  to  resuscitate 
him  when  the  good  father  was  at  last  ready  to  go  on 
his  way:  for  he  meant  to  sleep  a  couple  of  leagues 
farther  on  that  night. 

"Well,  let  us  be  off  then,"  he  grumbled  at  last.  'O 
necessario  e  precise!"  and  he  arose  with  the  help  of 
his  hands  on  the  table;  but  it  required  some  little  engi- 
neering to  put  him  in  his  saddle,  and  the  knees  of  his 
horse  swayed  perilously  as  he  dropped  heavily  into  the 
seat 

Two  of  the  men  who  had  dined  with  him  were  to 
escort  him,  and  the  little  company  of  horsemen  got  away 
just  as  dusk  fell  upon  the  forest. 

When  they  had  ridden  along  the  road  a  bit  and  gos- 
siped of  one  thing  and  another,  of  a  sudden  one  of  his 
companions  spoke  up. 

"Were  I  alone,"  he  said,  "you  would  not  get  me  to 
go  this  road  to-night,  but  by  good-luck  Father  Joao  is 
with  us." 

"Nor  I,"  assented  the  other,  "not  without  Father 
Joao:  for  'the  devil  flies  the  Cross.'  ' 

"How  is  that?"  asked  the  priest  with  a  leer,  expect- 
ing some  piece  of  rustic  witticism. 


JUDGMENT  219 

"  'Tis  the  anniversary  of  the  murder  of  Riberao 
Fundo, ' '  was  the  reply. 

"What  of  it?"  asked  the  priest;  "but  talk  of  some- 
thing pleasant ! ' ' 

"  'Twas  here  ahead  of  us  a  bit,"  said  he  who  had 
spoken  first,  "where  he  hung  the  pieces  on  the  tree." 

''And  it  is  there,  hard  by,  that  the  old  monjolo  stands 
where  the  devil  appeared  to  Chico  Ribeiro,"  added  the 
other. 

"What  story  is  that  of  the  devil,  man?"  asked  the 
priest  with  an  uneasy  laugh.  "We  drowned  him  this 
day,  sure  enough!  He'll  not  appear  again." 

His  companions  joined  in  his  laugh  with  a  marked 
effort,  but  the  sound  of  their  mirth  was  weird  to  their 
own  ears  in  the  night  air  of  the  forest.  The  moon  was 
nearly  full  and  had  just  risen  above  the  tree-tops,  cast- 
ing one  side  of  the  road  into  shadow  and  the  other  into 
the  light,  while  the  night-birds  called  to  one  another  from 
gloom  to  gloom. 

' '  The  whole  trouble  came  of  a  pitiful  goat — a  quarrel 
over  a  goat!  and  he  cut  up  Sor  Pedro  and  hung  the 
pieces  on  that  tree  over  the  road,"  said  the  first  man, 
in  a  harsh  whisper,  and  pointing  as  the  much-dreaded 
tree  came  in  sight. 

"And  then  the  devil  came,  in  the  form  of  a  goat,  and 
stood  upon  the  old  monjolo,  there,"  said  the  second, 
pointing  in  turn  to  the  rude  mass  of  wood  that  stood  in 
a  little  open  space  where  its  superstitious  hewer  had 
left  it  long  before. 

"Talk  of  something  pleasant,  man!"  hastily  ejacu- 


220  JUDGMENT 

lated  Padre  Joao,  again,  with  an  attempt  at  a  laugh. 
"Talk  of  cows  or  even  pigs,  but  let  the  goats  be!" 

''Hush !  what  is  that?"  cried  the  man. 

"What  is  what?"  gasped  the  priest,  with  starting 
eyes,  for  at  this  moment  something  white,  with  long 
curved  horns,  sprang  lightly  upon  the  ancient  block  of 
wood,  terrifying  the  horsemen. 

"Holy  Mother  of  God!  Exorcis — "  cried  the  priest,  as 
their  startled  horses  sprang  forward  and  dashed  blindly 
down  the  road. 

His  two  companions  gained  rapidly  on  him,  for  their 
horses  bore  lighter  loads,  and  soon  they  had  left  him 
well  in  the  rear. 

Mad  with  drunken  terror,  he  struck  his  animal  sav- 
agely with  his  heavy  whip.  The  poor  beast  swerved 
suddenly  under  the  blows,  bringing  his  rider  heavily  to 
the  ground  with  his  head  doubled  under  his  great  shoul- 
ders. 

A  sickening  snap  and  the  mass  quivered  and  grew  still, 
in  a  queer  unshapely  heap  hunched  up  against  the  foot 
of  a  sapling. 

The  next  morning  the  young  caboclo  who  had  ridden 
with  Horacio  found  the  body  of  Father  Joao,  as  he 
returned  that  way  from  the  dance. 

He  it  was  who  let  the  neighbors  know  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  when  they  turned  the  body  over  a  few 
pieces  of  broken  porcelain  fell  out  of  a  pocket.  On  one 
of  these  bits  the  face  of  the  Virgin  appeared,  and  on 
another — the  largest  of  them  all — that  of  an  evil,  horned 
creature  with  a  diabolical  leer. 


XIV. 
FOUND! 

THAT  same  night,  our  young  colporter  held  a  service 
similar  to  that  which  he  had  conducted  at  Sor  Bufino's, 
and  pressed  on  the  next  day  toward  the  end  of  his  jour- 
ney, a  couple  of  days '  ride  farther  on. 

Sor  Erasmo  had  given  him  minute  directions  for  find- 
ing the  road,  but  either  they  were  too  minute  or  not 
minute  enough:  in  any  case,  as  the  afternoon  waned  he 
found  himself  unable  to  recognize  any  of  the  landmarks 
which  Sor  Erasmo  had  labored  to  impress  upon  his  mem- 
ory, and  as  he  went  farther  and  farther  along  his  map 
and  compass  told  him  that  he  had  made  a  wide  detour 
and  could  not  hope  to  arrive  at  his  destination  by  fol- 
lowing the  road  which  lay  before  him. 

Whether  to  return  or  to  chance  finding  a  stopping- 
place  a  bit  farther  on  at  which  to  pass  the  night,  was  the 
question  which  now  engrossed  him. 

As  he  thought  upon  it  Bonito  brought  him  to  a  clear- 
ing, and  a  glance  ahead  showed  him  a  miserable  house, 
or  cabin  of  poles,  with  a  thatched  roof.  Fences  in  ruin 
and  a  feeble  effort  here  and  there  to  bring  the  land  to 
a  state  of  order  indicated  that  the  owner  of  the  sitio 
was  one  of  those  chronically  indolent  or  discouraged  per- 

221 


222  HORACIO 

sons  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  but  especially 
in  Southern  latitudes. 

A  couple  of  rakish  poles  in  the  quintal,  striped  with 
black  and  red,  supported  squares  of  weather-faded  cot- 
ton cloth  with  crudely  painted  figures  to  replace  the 
usual  prints  of  Saint  John  and  Saint  Anthony.  These 
curious  works  of  art,  indeed,  looked  rather  like  beetles 
than  men,  but  doubtless  were  fully  as  efficacious  in 
bringing  good-luck  as  though  they  had  been  lithographed 
in  four  colors. 

However  this  may  be,  as  the  hour  was  late  and  he 
was  hungry,  he  determined  to  ask  hospitality  of  those 
who  dwelt  in  the  tumble-down  house. 

Drawing  near  to  the  place  he  perceived  a  man,  well 
on  past  middle-age,  leaning  against  the  casing  of  the 
door.  In  the  spare  and  languid  figure,  wasted  by  the 
fever  and  bent  by  labor,  Horacio  was  astonished  to  rec- 
ognize— his  father ! 

A  sudden  grip  at  the  heart  caught  the  words  from  his 
lips;  then  he  put  the  thought  from  him  and  assured 
himself  that  a  chance  resemblance  was  all  that  there 
could  be  in  common  between  that  stalwart,  strong-armed 
parent  of  his  and  this  poor  creature  who  seemed  to  be 
trying  to  sustain  his  falling  house,  or  perhaps  they 
mutually  sustained  each  other. 

"I  have  lost  my  way,"  he  said,  after  saluting  the  man 
courteously;  "I  must  have  passed  a  cross-roads  without 
noticing.  I  was  going  to  pass  the  night  at  Sor  Martinho  's 
— Sor  Martinho  Toledo.  Have  I  gone  far  astray?" 

"Yes,  a  goodish  bit,"  replied  the  man,  "a  goodish 


FOUND  223 

bit,  indeed.  The  cross-roads  is  a  good  two  leagues  back, 
then  two  leagues  and  a  half,  or  thereabouts,  would  bring 
you  to  Martinho's.  You  will  find  it  hard  to  get  there 
to-night." 

Horacio  hesitated,  and  at  this  moment  a  woman  ap- 
peared in  the  doorway  and  gazed  out  over  the  old  man's 
shoulder.  It  was  his  mother !  An  inexplicable,  perverse 
impulse  moved  him  to  restrain  himself  when  he  would 
have  dried  out. 

"Could  you  make  shift  to  accommodate  me  here  for 
the  night?" — he  asked  at  length,  "or  is  there — "  a  better 
place  he  was  going  to  say,  then  changed  it  to,  ' '  any  other 
place  farther  on?  I  can  sleep  on  my  saddle-blankets  in 
any  corner,"  he  added,  at  sight  of  the  troubled  look  on 
the  man's  face. 

The  woman  started  as  he  spoke  and  gazed  eagerly  at 
him ;  then  her  face  relapsed  into  its  former  impassibility. 

Her  husband  or,  as  we  may  as  well  say  at  once, 
Horacio 's  father,  looked  inquiringly  at  the  woman,  then 
straightened  himself  a  bit  and  shambled  down  toward 
the  rickety  gate. 

"Well,"  he  said  as  he  approached,  "we  have  not 
much  to  offer  but,  such  as  it  is,  you're  welcome  to  it. 
It's  full  two  leagues  to  the  next  place  along  this  road, 
and  you  can  hardly  make  it  to-night.  Dismount,  sir,  and 
enter!  There's  a  bit  of  corn  in  the  payol  there  for  your 
horse.  Seems  like  I've  seen  that  there  beast  before 
somewhere,"  he  added,  running  his  hand  over  Bonito's 
neck,  who  sniffed  at  him  as  though  he  too  felt  a  vague 
sense  of  recognition  take  hold  of  him. 


224  HORACIO 

''Like  as  not,''  replied  Horacio  indifferently,  as  he 
slipped  to  the  ground;  "I  borowed  him  from  a  man  in 
Jahu." 

The  man  gathered  up  the  reins  to  lead  the  animal 
away.  "I  suppose  that  is  where  I've  seen  him,"  he 
said,  turning  away;  "I  used  to  live  nigh  to  Jahu  a  few 
years  back.'* 

A  couple  of  young  girls  had  now  appeared  in  the 
doorway,  and  as  Horacio  shook  hands  all  around  he 
found  it  difficult  to  recognize  his  sisters  and  more  diffi- 
cult to  restrain  the  eager  questions  which  were  struggling 
for  voice. 

Throwing  his  whip  and  saddle-bags  upon  a  bench,  he 
dropped  wearily  beside  them  and  gazed  about  the  room. 
Chinks  between  the  poles  which  formed  its  frail  walls 
gave  frank  entrance  to  the  air  from  without.  The  floor 
was  the  solid  earth,  worn  in  ruts  and  hollows,  upon 
which  a  rickety  table  stood  uneasily  and  as  though  there 
were  a  continual  controversy  among  its  legs  as  to  which 
should  help  sustain  it;  for  one  of  them,  at  least,  always 
refused  to  reach  to  the  ground.  Benches  took  the  place 
of  chairs  and  a  bottle  in  a  tin  holder,  with  a  bit  of  cot- 
ton wicking  in  it,  stood  upon  a  shelf.  Several  small  ar- 
ticles of  little  value  hung  about  upon  the  walls,  and,  save 
these  poor  things,  there  was  no  other  furnishing. 

Several  small  rooms  besides  the  kitchen  were  evidently 
partitioned  off  in  the  rear,  and  standing  in  the  kitchen 
with  her  back  toward  him  was  a  woman,  old  or  young 
he  could  not  clearly  see  in  the  obscurity,  the  outline 
of  whose  figure  caused  his  heart  to  thump  in  his  bosom. 


FOUND  225 

At  this  instant  she  turned,  as  he  spoke  in  reply  to  a 
question  of  his  mother.  "Yes,"  he  replied  to  the  ques- 
tioner, "I  am  peddling,  but  only  books." 

His  mother  gave  a  half-sigh  of  disappointment.  ''I 
was  hoping  one  of  those  Turks  would  pass  this  way, 
soon,"  she  said.  "We  have  no  money  to  buy  books, 
and  there  couldn't  none  of  us  read  'em  if  we  bought 
'em,  but  I'm  needing  some  cotton-goods  for  the  girls." 

Horacio  still  kept  his  eyes  upon  the  passage-way  that 
led  out  to  the  kitchen,  but  the  woman  had  disappeared. 
"I  am  sorry,"  he  answered  his  mother,  absently,  "but 
I  have  only  books. ' ' 

The  old  man  now  entered  and  sat  down  upon  a  bench. 
Horacio  wondered  where  his  two  brothers  were.  Per- 
haps they  were  not  living;  he  remembered  the  disaster 
which  had  swept  the  family  from  their  home. 

"You  are  not  well,  sir?"  he  inquired  of  his  host, 
to  make  conversation. 

"No,  I  can't  say  as  I  enjoy  very  good  health  here. 
We  seem  to  have  settled  in  a  right  unhealthy  spot. 
When  one  of  us  ain't  down  with  the  maleita  another 
is,  and  mostly  we  have  it  all  the  time.  See  these 
arms,  young  man!  When  I  came  here  there  was  no 
man  hereabouts  could  show  a  likelier  arm  nor  stick  by 
the  hoe  as  long,  and  now  look  at  them!"  and  he  rolled 
up  his  sleeves  to  display  his  meager  and  shrunken  mem- 
bers. 

"And  isn't  the  land  good  for  crops  either?"  asked 
his  son,  with  growing  pity. 

"Good?    None  better!     This  land  is  as  rich  as  one 


226  EORACIO 

could  wish;  but  what  can  you  do  without  arms  to  till 
it,  and  sick  all  the  time?  Helpers  are  mighty  scarce 
in  these  parts.  They  all  go  to  the  big  fazendas  near 
the  city,  and  we  sertanejos  must  do  our  own  work. 
That's  all  right  for  them  as  has  families,  but  them 
that  hasn't  must  rot  like  fallen  timbers  on  the  soil 
and  at  last  mix  with  it,"  and  he  looked  sadly  about 
the  place. 

"But  have  you  no  one  to  help  you,  sir?"  asked  Horacio, 
dreading  the  reply. 

"No,  I  hain't  no  one,"  was  the  answer;  "that  is,  I 
have  two  boys" — Horacio 's  heart  bounded — "fine  boys, 
too,  but  they  might  as  well  not  be  mine  for  all  the 
good  they  do  me." 

"How  is  that?"  asked  his  son  wonderingly. 

"Oh,  it's  a  long  story,"  responded  the  old  man,  and 
I  don't  know  as  it's  worth  the  telling;"  then,  encour- 
aged by  the  show  of  interest,  for  even  those  who  have 
outlived  most  of  the  storms  of  life  do  not  outlive  the 
mild  frailty  of  responding  to  this  sort  of  subtle  flattery, 
he  went  on:  "You  see,  I  had  a  fine  little  place  over 
nigh  Jahu,  as  I  said,  but  my  other  son  got  mixed  up 
in  some  trouble  and  his  enemies  fixed  themselves  up  like 
Injuns  one  night  and  came  over  and  burned  us  out. 
Only  for  the  fact  that  we  was  warned  we  would  have 
been  burned  in  our  beds  or  shot  down  as  we  ran  out, 
for  we  lay  hidden  in  the  brush  and  heard  'em  talking. 

"Seems  as  though  they  thought  we  was  burned  with 
the  house,  for  they  never  troubled  to  follow  us.  They 
killed  my  oxen  and  stole  what  they  wanted,  and  all  we 


FOUND  227 

got  away  with  was  the  bit  of  stuff  we  could  put  on  the 
horses,  so  we  came  over  here  and  settled  down  where 
no  one  knew  us.  I  bought  this  bit  of  land  from  Sor 
Andre,  who  lives  two  leagues  farther  on  along  this  road. 
He's  the  richest  man  in  all  this  country,  but  he's  hard! 
Yes,  he's  hard — not  to  say  something  worse;  but  then 
I  suppose  I  have  no  cause  to  complain. 

"I  was  a  stranger  and  I  gave  him  some  money,  and 
papers  instead  of  the  balance,  for  his  land;  and  then 
I  left  the  boys,  taking  what  cash  I  had  remaining  and 
bought  some  things  I  needed — tools  and  the  like.  Then 
we  all  fell  to  and  made  the  clearin'  and  put  up  this 
temporary  house,  thinking  to  better  it  later  on.  Then 
we  began  getting  sick,  and  it's  been  the  same  old  story 
ever  since.  When  the  time  came  to  make  the  payments 
I  couldn't  do  much  of  anything,"  and  the  old  man 
leaned  forward  and  stared  at  the  floor,  shaking  his  head 
wearily. 

"So  the  interest  grew,"  he  went  on  at  length,  "and 
then  there  was  interest  on  interest,  and,  do  all  I  could, 
the  payments  I  made  him  were  small.  So  at  last  he 
took  the  boys  over  to  work  on  his  place,  to  keep  the 
interest  down.  He  only  allows  them  nine  hundred  reis 
a  day  and  gives  them  a  place  to  sleep  and  a  part,  of 
what  they  need  to  eat.  I  furnish  the  rest.  He  keeps 
their  wages  to  apply  on  the  interest." 

"How  long  have  they  been  there  now?"  asked  their 
brother,  with  all  the  indifference  he  could  assume. 

"Let  me  see!  It  is  going  on  two  years  now,"  his 
father  answered.  "Seems  like,  with  all  I  have  paid, 


228  HORACIO 

that  I  ought  to  get  ahead  on  what  I  owed,  but  it  is 
still  bigger  than  it  was  at  first." 

"May  I  ask  what  interest  you  are  paying?'*  said 
Horacio. 

"Why  not?    It  is  two  per  cent,  a  month." 

"That  is  a  good  deal.  Was  the  amount  great  that 
you  owed  him?" 

"No,  not  very  large  It  was  four  hundred  milreis. 
You  see,  I  bought  one  hundred  alqueires  at  ten  milreis 
the  alqueire,  and  I  gave  him  six  hundred  milreis  that  I 
had  from  my  brother,  who  died  a  year  or  so  before  we 
came  here;  the  rest  of  what  I  had  I  used  in  stockin' 
the  place.  But  stay,  I'll  show  you  the  papers!" 

With  that  open  frankness  common  to  country-bred 
people  everywhere,  the  old  man  went  to  a  box  in  which 
he  kept  some  odds  and  ends  along  with  the  papers,  and, 
fumbling  them  over,  brought  forth  some  soiled  and 
worn  documents  which  he  handed  over  for  his  son's 
inspection. 

"I  cannot  read,"  he  said,  "but  I  pretty  near  know 
them  by  heart,  I  have  had  them  read  to  me  so  many 
times." 

Horacio  read  the  papers  with  great  care  and  found 
them  in  proper  form,  as  nearly  as  his  good  sense  could 
determine.  On  the  back  of  the  contract  were  indorsed 
the  payments,  each  receipt  being  accompanied  by  the 
proper  revenue-stamp.  Reading  aloud  to  the  old  man 
the  amounts  and  dates  of  payment,  all  appeared  to  be 
perfectly  correct. 

"What  are  wages  worth  for  farm  hands  hereabouts?" 


FOUND  229 

he  asked,  when  he  had  completed  his  examination  of  the 
papers. 

"Oh,  two  mil  five  and  keep  generally,"  replied  his 
father. 

"Are  your  sons  large  and  strong  and  good  workers?" 
inquired  Horaeio,  beginning  to  see  light. 

"That  they  are — none  better!  But  Sor  Andre  says 
he  has  to  keep  them  the  whole  year  round  and  that 
makes  a  difference;  but  I  wish  they  might  come  to  me 
during  the  slack  times  over  to  his  place  that  he  talks  so 
much  about." 

* '  Then — let  me  see ! — three  hundred  and  thirteen  days 
for  the  year,  not  counting  Sundays,  although  I  suppose 
they  work  on  Sundays  the  same  as  other  days — no  ? ' '  and 
he  glanced  inquiringly  at  his  father.  The  old  man 
nodded  affirmatively.  "Well,  never  mind  the  Sundays! 
Three  hundred  and  thirteen  by  two  men  for  two  years 
makes  four  times  three  hundred  and  thirteen,  or  twelve 
hundred  and  fifty-two,  times  nine  hundred  reis,  which 
would  make  one  conto  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
mil  eight  hundred  reis.  Now  we  shall  add  to  that  amount 
one  conto  six  hundred  milreis  you  have  paid  in  cash,  as 
credited  here  on  the  back  of  the  papers,  and  that  makes 
about  seven  times  what  you  owed  him  originally,  and  all 
this  for  interest,  because  he  claims  that  you  still  owe 
him  more  than  the  original  amount.  In  addition  you 
say  that  the  wages  are  worth  at  least  three  times  as 
much  as  he  is  allowing  the  boys.  In  other  words,  you 
have  paid  your  debt  and  he  owes  you  a  nice  bit  of 
money  besides." 


230  HORACIO 

The  old  man  gazed  at  his  son  with  puzzled  eyes,  un- 
able to  take  in  the  full  significance  of  such  a  revelation. 

"Sobre  teres  e  haveres  movew-se  muitas  demandas," 
he  finally  philosophized.  "It  may  be  as  you  say,  young; 
man,  but  might  is  right  here,  if  indeed  it  be  as  you  say. 
What  can  I  do?  He  will  take  the  land  and  turn  us  out, 
and  I  have  not  a  vintem  with  which  to  begin  life  else- 
where. This  is  what  the  contract  says !  Read  it  and  you 
will  see  that  I  have  already  forfeited  the  place  and  it  is 
only  through  his  forbearance  that  I  remain  here." 

" Humph!"  ejaculated  the  young  man;  "a  profitable 
forbearance  for  him !  But  from  what  little  I  have  learned 
at  school  I  judge  that  his  accepting  your  money  with- 
out taking  advantage  of  the  first  delays  in  your  pay- 
ment constitutes  a  full  renewal  of  your  contract." 

"Ah,  you  do  not  know  our  people  here.  You  are  from 
the  city,  I  take  it?  Sor  Andre  does  not  mind  small  ir- 
regularities. If  I  protest,  he  will  send  his  capangas  to 
burn  the  house  over  me.  No,  he  must  have  his  will! 
Alas,  I  do  not  know  what  will  come  of  it !  It  is  true  there 
is  a  way,  but  I  do  not  know  whether  even  that  will  suffice. 
All  this  is  come  upon  me  because  of  that  wild  son  of  mine 
who  meddled  with  the  affairs  of  his  betters  and  in  what 
did  not  concern  him.  Oft  have  I  been  minded  to  curse 
him  for  the  evil  he  has  wrought!" 

The  words  which  Horacio  had  been  about  to  speak 
died  on  his  lips  at  the  old  man's  bitter  tone.  A  light 
step  was  at  the  door  and  a  young  woman,  who  might 
have  been  any  age  from  twenty  to  thirty,  brought  a 
cloth  and  spread  it  on  the  unstable  piece  o*"  furniture 


FOUND  231 

which  did  duty  as  a  table  and  which  was  never  at  rest 
upon  the  uneven  floor.  The  old  man  gathered  his  papers 
and  put  them  away.  The  young  woman  did  not  look  at 
Horacio,  but  in  spite  of  the  aspect  of  her  face,  which  was 
haggard  and  wan,  and  the  languor  of  her  movements, 
brought  on  by  ill-health,  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  her 
great  dark  eyes  and  knew  that  it  was  Anna. 

"Good  evening!"  he  said  hesitatingly. 

"Good  evening,  sir!"  she  replied,  and  extended  a 
limp  and  reluctant  hand,  which  she  released  again  as 
quickly  as  she  could  from  his  warm  and  hearty  grasp 
and  left  the  room.  His  sisters  completed  the  serving  of 
the  meal,  and  when  it  was  ready  father  and  son  sat  down 
together  to  the  humble  fare. 

Almost  immediately  afterward  the  woman  arranged  a 
husk  mattress,  with  a  sheet  and  a  bit  of  blanket,  on  a 
homemade  bedstead  in  an  inner  room,  and  bade  their 
guest  choose  his  own  hour  for  retiring. 

The  two  men  sat  together  for  some  time  in  aimless 
conversation,  the  old  man  enjoying  this  little  glimpse  of 
the  outside  world,  while  the  young  man  answered  ab- 
sently as  he  turned  his  thoughts  over  and  over  in  his 
mind  about  one  central  axis.  At  last,  desirous  of 
being  alone,  he  arose  and  went  out  under  the  stars 
to  stroll  about  the  curral,  thinking  intently  of  what 
he  should  do. 

Suddenly  he  heard  a  light  step  beside  him  and  a 
hand  touched  him  on  the  arm. 

"Horacio!"  said  a  well-remembered  voice  softly, 
"here  is  the  package  you  left  in  my  care." 


232  HORACIO 

Horacio  turned  in  wonder  at  the  sound  of  his  name 
and  caught  the  hand  that  held  the  package. 

"Anna!"  he  cried,  "what  is  this?" 

"Let  me  be!"  she  answered  coldly,  but  he  would  not 
let  her  go,  although  she  tried  to  withdraw  her  hand 
and  struggled  for  her  liberty. 

"Not  until  you  answer  my  questions.  Will  you  prom- 
ise?" 

"Yes,"  she  said,  in  the  same  tone  as  before,  "I  will 
answer  your  questions.  You  have  the  right  to  ask." 

"What  is  this  in  this  package?"  he  asked,  releasing 
her  hand. 

"  'Tis  the  little  hoard  of  your  savings  which  you  left 
hidden  in  the  house  where  only  you  and  I  knew  the 
place." 

"I  had  supposed  it  burned  with  the  house!  And  so 
you  kept  it  all  these  years  when  in  such  dire  need  ?  Why 
did  you  not  give  it  to  my  father?" 

"It  was  yours,"  she  said  simply.  Her  loyalty  touched 
him. 

"Anna,"  he  said,  with  broken  voice,  "I  have  mourned 
thee  all  these  years." 

"You  never  came,"  she  answered  coldly,  and  moved 
away  from  him  as  though  she  would  leave  him — "you 
a  hunter,  not  to  find  us!" 

There  was  reproach  in  her  voice  and  he  was  glad  to 
be  able  to  answer  frankly,  "Anna!  They  conscripted 
me  by  force  the  next  day  at  Brotas,  and  it  was  only  after 
nearly  four  years  of  service  that  I  could  return,  to  find 
the  ruins  of  the  house  and  learn  that  you  had  all  been 


FOUND  233 

slain  by  the  bugres.  Do  not  reproach  me !  How  could 
I  do  otherwise  ? ' ' 

The  constraint  in  the  girl's  manner  lifted  for  a  mo- 
ment, then  the  old  cloud  fell  across  her  face.  He  caught 
at  her  hand,  but  she  held  it  resolutely  behind  her  back. 

"Anna!"  he  cried  again,  "why  dost  thou  remain  in- 
different? I  have  explained  what  must  have  seemed 
cruel  and  heartless.  Hast  thou  not  forgiven?" 

"I  forgave  thee  then,"  she  answered  gently,  "al- 
though I  could  not  understand.  But  it  is  too  late  now ! 
I  am  going  away  to-morrow."  She  did  not  say  what  was 
too  late,  but  her  voice  was  unutterably  sad. 

"Going  away!    Where?" 

"I  am  going  to  marry  Sor  Andre." 

Horacio  staggered  as  though  stunned  with  a  blow. 
His  newly-revived  hopes  began  to  be  dissipated  like  a 
dream.  But,  no,  he  would  not  find  Anna  just  to  lose 
her:  he  would  protest:  he  would  cry  out  against  it:  she 
could  not  wish  him  to  do  otherwise. 

"I  came  in  good  time!"  he  said  firmly.  "Thou  shalt 
never  marry  him!  I  will  not  have  it  so!" 

"I  must,"  she   answered  simply. 

"Dost  thou  wish  to  do  so?"  he  asked  coldly. 

"Do  not  ask  me  that.    Thou  hast  no  right." 

"I  have  a  right!    Dost  thou  not  owe  me  that  much?" 

"Do  not  remind  me  of  my  debt  to  thee.  It  is  not 
generous." 

"That  is  true.  Forgive  me,"  he  said  with  self-re- 
proach, "but  tell  me,  Anna,  dost  thou — dost  thou — love 
him?" 


234  HORAC10 

The  girl  looked  at  him  steadily  for  a  moment  and  then 
turned  again  to  flee  from  him.  Suddenly  a  thought 
struck  Horacio. 

"Is  it  because  of  that  miserable  contract?"  he  cried 
impetuously.  "You  do  it  to  cancel  the  debt!" 

The  girl's  face  was  telltale  in  spite  of  the  darkness. 
She  tried  to  flee,  but  he  ran  after  her  and  caught  her 
in  his  arms. 

''Anna,  I  say  thou  shalt  not  marry  him!  Thou  dost 
not  love  him!" 

"Let  me  go!  Let  me  go!"  she  cried,  as  she  struggled 
to  be  free. 

"Wilt  thou  listen  to  me  if  I  let  thee  go?"  he  asked 
sternly. 

"Yes,"  she  gasped,  with  a  sob  in  her  voice,  "I  shall 
listen." 

"Anna,  didst  thou  suppose  that  I  could  desert  my 
father,  now  that  I  have  found  him?" 

"I  did  not  know,"  she  answered  hesitatingly.  "I 
was  afraid — that  is — when  thou  didst  not  reveal  thy- 
self  " 

"I  see.  It  was  wrong;  I  do  not  know  what  possessed 
me.  At  first  I  did  not  know  him  and  I  needed  time  to 
think;  but  I  shall  ask  his  forgiveness,  and  I  shall  not 
desert  him.  I  have  a  plan  which  I  have  been  turning  in 
my  head  all  the  evening:  there  only  lacks  one  element 
to  insure  success,  and  perhaps  we  may  risk  it.  To-night 
I  shall  not  speak,  for  he  has  already  retired.  Meanwhile 
— let  me  see — Anna,  wilt  thou  do  as  I  bid  thee  ?  I  prom- 
ise that  I  will  care  for  my  father;  wilt  thou  obey  me?" 


FOUND  235 

The  girl  hesitated  for  a  moment  and  then  said  thought- 
fully, "Thou  art  not  the  same  Horacio.  Thou  art 
changed.  Thy  very  language  and  manner  of  speaking 
are  different.  Thou  hast  the  air  of  the  city.  How  can 
I  tell?" 

"How  didst  thou  know  me  when  I  came?" 

The  girl  laughed  mischievously.  "How,  indeed?  How 
could  I  help  knowing  thee?" 

' '  Then  if  thou  knewest  me  when  my  own  mother  and 
father  did  not  know  me,  I  must  be  the  same  Horacio. 
Wilt  thou  promise?" 

"Thy  mother  did  know  thee,"  she  said,  to  gain 
time.  "When  she  came  to  the  kitchen  she  looked  at  me 
and  our  lips  formed  the  same  word.  Then  a  tear  stole 
down  her  cheek." 

"Poor  mother!"  said  the  young  man,  and  a  shade  of 
sadness  crept  into  his  voice.  l '  I  shall  not  keep  her  wait- 
ing long.  Come,  Anna,  wilt  thou  promise  to  do  as  I 
direct  thee?" 

"Yes,"  she  answered  at  last.  Horacio  then  revealed 
his  plan  in  rapid  words. 

"Good-night!"  he  said  finally.  "Permit  me  now  as 
a  brother  to  embrace  thee.  We  shall  meet  again." 

He  put  his  arms  about  her  and  kissed  her  on  both 
cheeks,  but  thought  that  she  was  not  pleased.  Neverthe- 
less he  pressed  her  hand  again  and  turned  away  toward 
the  house. 

Having  hastily  written  a  note  by  the  light  of  the  little 
flickering  lamp  which  hung  against  the  wall,  he  laid  it 
upon  the  doorstep,  and  when  he  looked  again  it  was  gone. 


XV. 
SOR  ANDRE. 

FOR  a  long  time  that  night  as  he  lay  on  his  bed, 
whose  husks  rattled  uneasily  as  he  turned  from  side  to 
side,  Horacio  courted  sleep  in  vain.  One  wild  plan 
chased  another  through  his  troubled  brain  until  he 
finally  fell  asleep  of  sheer  fatigue. 

He  was  awakened  by  the  rapid  patter  of  pacing  hoofs 
approaching  the  door.  The  sun  had  long  since  crept 
above  the  horizon  and  the  family  was  stirring  about  the 
house.  He  heard  a  masterful  voice  greet  his  father  from 
the  gate  of  the  little  curral.  Rising  from  his  bed,  he 
put  on  the  remainder  of  his  clothing  and  went  out  into 
the  sala.  His  father  had  already  left  the  house  and  was 
leaning  over  the  gate,  talking  with  a  man  on  horseback, 
who  held  by  the  bridle-rein  another  animal  bearing  a 
woman's  saddle. 

The  young  man  stepped  to  the  doorway  in  order  that 
he  might  have  a  better  look  at  the  stranger,  and  began 
the  inspection  with  the  horse,  as  any  ex-cavalryman 
should  do.  The  beast  was  a  noble  creature  who  arched 
his  proud  neck  and  shifted  uneasily  about  under  the  re- 
straining hand  of  his  rider.  A  handsome  saddle  mount- 
ed with  silver  matched  the  luxurious  bridle  and  was 
overlaid  with  the  skin  of  some  animal,  upon  which  sat 

236 


80R  ANDEE  237 

negligently  but  securely  a  finely-formed  man  of  about 
forty-five.  His  swarthy  skin  betokened  some  admixture 
of  African  or  Indian  blood,  while  the  coarse  black  hair 
which  showed  beneath  his  fine  hat  bore  witness  to  the 
same. 

All  this  Horacio  took  in  at  a  glance,  as  well  as  the  short 
repeating  rifle  which  lay  across  the  saddle  in  front  of 
him — a  weapon  sufficiently  uncommon  in  the  hands  of 
a  Brazilian  to  attract  attention  at  any  time,  and  espe- 
cially from  Horacio;  but  it  was  upon  the  man's  eyes  that 
his  glance  lingered  longest.  Black,  cruel,  daring,  but 
cowardly  eyes  they  were,  and  revealed  the  soul  almost 
aggressively. 

An  earnest  discussion  was  evidently  taking  place. 
Finally  the  man  dismounted  and,  tying  his  horses  to  a 
strong  post,  entered  the  gate  and  approached  the  house, 
with  the  old  man  shambling  along  at  his  side. 

' '  Sor  Andre  dos  Campos — what  is  your  grace  ? — I  for- 
got to  ask,"  said  the  latter,  turning  toward  his  guest  as 
he  waved  his  hand  from  one  to  the  other  in  presenta- 
tion. 

"My  name  is  Horacio — your  servant,"  the  young  man 
replied  simply,  and,  controlling  his  repugnance,  shook 
the  proffered  hand. 

The  old  man  started  slightly  as  he  heard  the  name 
which  the  young  man  gave  and  looked  at  him  sharply 
for  an  instant.  At  the  same  moment  he  was  undergoing 
a  piercing  scrutiny  from  the  black  eyes  of  the  local 
magnate,  who  wondered  at  his  presence  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. As  it  was  common  custom  to  give  only  one's 


238  HORACIO 

baptismal  name,  no  special  notice  was  taken  of  Horacio's 
failure  to  mention  his  surname. 

Striving  not  to  appear  to  notice  the  dual  inspection, 
he  made  some  trivial  remark  on  some  commonplace  sub- 
ject, and  the  old  man  took  his  eyes  from  him  and  turned 
toward  the  door  near  which  they  had  been  standing. 

"Sinha!"  he  called  toward  the  interior  of  the  house, 
and  as  his  wife  appeared  in  the  kitchen  doorway  he 
added,  "Here  is  Sor  Andre.  Send  Anna!" 

His  wife  came  forward  slowly,  wiping  her  hands  on 
her  skirt.  ' '  Good  mornin ',  Sor  Andre !  How  have  you 
passed?"  she  said,  giving  her  hand  to  the  rich  fazendeiro. 
"Anna  is  not  here.  I  do  not  know  where  she  is.  I  went 
to  her  room  a  moment  ago,  but  her  bed  had  not  been 
slept  in.  Likely  she  is  in  the  roc.a." 

"What  jugglery  is  this!"  cried  the  dark  man  angrily. 
"Would  she  spend  the  night  in  the  roc,a?  No!  She  knew 
I  was  coming  to  fetch  her,  and  you  have  put  up  some 
trick  between  you  to  hide  her.  But  take  care!  My 
patience  has  not  callouses." 

"I  assure  you,  Sor  Andre,  I  know  nothing  of  her," 
said  the  old  man  piteously.  "  'Twas  only  yesterday  she 
said  she  was  ready  to  go  with  you,  and  I  have  not  heard 
a  word  since." 

"Don't  come  to  me  with  your  pack  of  lies!"  retorted 
the  fazendeiro  brutally.  "Go  find  the  girl  this  instant 
or  I  shall  have  no  more  words  with  you !  Off  you  go—- 
bag and  baggage — this  very  day!  There  are  limits!" 

The  old  man  turned  to  his  wife  with  trembling  lip 
and  anxious  mien.  "Send  the  girls  to  hunt  her,  Sinh&," 


80R  ANDRE  239 

he  said  in  a  broken  voice.  "  Surely  she  cannot  be  far 
away.  She  was  here  when  I  went  to  bed  last  night" 

The  woman  turned  to  do  his  bidding,  but  halted  at 
the  sound  of  Horacio's  voice. 

"You  will  not  find  her,"  he  said  quietly  to  his  mother, 
and  thought  that  a  faint  flash  of  relief  flitted  across  her 
impassive  countenance. 

"What  in  the  name  of  a  thousand  demons  have  you 
got  to  do  with  it?"  shouted  the  fazendeiro.  ""Who  is 
this  fellow?"  turning  to  the  old  man. 

"Sir,  what  do  you  know  of  her?"  inquired  the  old  man 
anxiously  of  his  son,  disregarding  his  landlord's  ques- 
tion. 

Without  stopping  to  think,  Horacio  said  calmly,  ' '  She 
is  far  away  on  the  road  to  the  city,  as  fast  as  my  horse 
can  carry  her,"  and  instantly  repented  his  indiscretion. 
The  fazendeiro 's  face  immediately  lightened. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "I  don't  know  why  you  are  mixing  in 
this  affair  nor  what  you  hope  to  get  out  of  it,  but  that 
we  shall  settle  afterwards.  Pinhal,  there,  will  bring  me 
up  with  her  in  a  very  short  time,  I  fancy,  and  we  shall 
have  an  end  of  this  nonsense.  There  are  two  roads  to  the 
city,  and  that  which  she  has  taken  will  show  the  prints 
of  your  horse's  feet,  chivalrous  young  meddler!  So 
long!"  and  he  turned  away. 

Horacio  sprang  forward  and  caught  him  by  the  arm. 
The  fazendeiro  turned  and  drew  a  long,  silver-mounted 
knife  from  its  sheath.  The  women  screamed  and  the 
mother  took  a  quick  step  forward.  Horacio  was  stand- 
ing with  folded  arms  and  a  calm  smile  was  on  his  face. 


240  HORACIO 

His  coolness  disarmed  the  wrath  of  his  opponent  for  an 
instant. 

"You  will  not  follow  her!"  said  the  young  man  firm- 
ly. "Do  you  wish  to  know  why?  This  is  why.  See  yon 
bird!"  and  he  pointed  dramatically  to  a  small  hawk  on 
a  distant  tree-top.  All  turned  their  heads  in  surprise  to 
look,  and,  improving  this  opportunity,  he  reached  quick- 
ly forward  and  snatched  the  rifle  from  the  astonished 
fazendeiro. 

Now  it  was  that  he  marked  the  measure  of  his  man, 
for  the  fellow,  at  sight  of  the  weapon  in  the  hands  of 
his  adversary,  betrayed  every  symptom  of  arrant 
cowardice.  His  color  fled  and  left  him  like  chalk,  while 
the  keen  knife  fell  from  his  trembling  hand  as  he  fixed 
his  eyes  on  Horacio,  unable  to  take  them  from  the  stern 
young  face  where  bravery  and  determination  were 
written. 

Without  giving  heed  to  the  dismay  which  he  had 
caused,  the  hunter  raised  his  arm,  and,  with  joy  in  his 
heart  as  the  weapon  came  to  rest  against  his  shoulder 
and  his  keen  eye  glanced  swiftly  along  its  sights,  he 
pulled  the  trigger.  A  flash,  a  report,  and  all  eyes  fol- 
lowed his  gesture. 

"See  there!"  he  cried.  "Coitado!  He  never  knew 
what  struck  him." 

From  the  distant  tree-top  a  few  feathers  floated  away 
on  the  light  breeze  and  the  hawk's  mutilated  body  fell 
vertically  to  the  earth. 

"No  one  can  shoot  like  that  save  my  son,  my  Horacio!" 
cried  the  old  man  in  amazed  uncertainty. 


80R  ANDRE  241 

"Horacio!"  cried  his  mother,  unable  any  longer  to 
restrain  herself,  and  burying  her  head  on  his  shoulder. 

Sor  Andre  was  greatly  astonished  at  this  little  drama 
and  looked  on  in  mingled  perplexity  and  dissatisfaction. 
When  the  mother  had'  liberated  her  son  it  was  the 
father's  turn  to  clasp  him  in  a  tender  embrace:  then 
the  lad  turned  to  the  fazendeiro  and  handed  him  back 
his  gun. 

"Sor  Andre,"  he  said,  "  you  have  oppressed  and  de- 
frauded my  father  too  long.  He  is  an  old  man  and  can- 
not claim  his  rights.  Last  night  by  chance  I  happened 
here,  and  discovered  that  those  whom  I  had  thought 
long  since  dead  are  still  alive.  I  am  here  now  and  I  shall 
claim  my  father's  right  for  him.  By  the  papers  which  he 
showed  me,  when  he  did  not  yet  know  that  I  was  his 
son,  I  find  that  your  little  scheme  is  one  that  will  not 
bear  investigation  beyond  the  sertao.  You  are  mighty 
here,  no  doubt,  but  I  warn  you :  do  not  trifle  with  me.  I 
have  been  a  soldier,  and  before  I  was  a  soldier  I  had  been 
a  hunter.  I  fear  you  not,  and  I  never  miss  my  mark. 
I  could  have  slain  you  now,  but  forbore.  Why  should 
I  not  slay  you  ?  What  use  are  you  to  anybody  but  your- 
self? Begone!  lest  I  change  my  mind.  But  mark  my 
words  and  mark  them  well !  I  hold  you  responsible  with 
your  life  for  each  of  theirs.  I  shall  expect  my  brothers 
here  this  afternoon  with  wages — with  their  just  wages — 
do  you  understand  ?  And  as  for  this  property,  it  is  my 
father's,  as  you  very  well  know!" 

Saying  this  he  turned  his  back  and,  without  a  glance 
at  the  abashed  bully,  entered  the  house.  Only  the  moral 


242  HORACIO 

effect  of  his  courage  kept  him  from  being  shot  down  in 
his  tracks  by  the  irate  scamp  outside.  A  moment  later 
he  heard  the  sound  of  a  retreating  gallop  and  his  quick 
ear  told  him  that  it  was  not  on  the  road  to  the  city. 

"Fear  is  the  best  watchman,"  he  remarked  senten- 
tiously  in  answer  to  his  parents'  doubts. 

It  was  a  happy  moment  for  them  when  in  the  hour 
of  their  direst  need  they  found  a  supporter  in  the  son 
who  had  been  lost  to  them  for  so  many  years.  Scarcely 
could  they  leave  him  an  instant  or  take  their  eyes  off 
his  handsome  face. 

"How  thou  hast  grown,  my  Horacio!  Thou  art  not 
the  same  Horacio ! ' '  cried  his  mother  in  perplexity,  hold- 
ing him  off  at  arm's  length,  while  the  two  girls  clung  to 
either  elbow. 

"Yes,  I  am  the  same  Horacio,"  he  answered,  laugh- 
ing. "Forgive  me  that  I  did  not  reveal  myself  sooner." 

"I  knew  thee,"  his  mother  answered  simply. 

"Thou  knewest  him  and  yet  saidst  nothing,  Sinha?" 
queried  the  old  man  in  puzzled  bewilderment. 

"Yes,  she  knew  me,  my  father,"  said  Horacio,  "and 
so  did  Anna.  That  is  why  I  sent  Anna  away — because 
of  Sor  Andre,  you  know. ' ' 

"I  begin  to  understand,"  replied  the  old  man,  "but 
tell  us  all  about  it,  for  my  head  goes  around.  Shall  I 
have  your  brothers  back  again  ?  What  shall  we  do  with 
Sor  Andre's  enmity?  Where  hast  thou  been  and  why 
didst  thou  not  come  to  us  long  ago?  So  this  is  why 
I  knew  the  horse!  See  what  I  have  for  thee,"  and 
without  waiting  for  answers  to  his  questions  he  hurried 


80R  ANDRE  243 

to  his  room  and  brought  a  long  bundle  of  rags  which  he 
quickly  unrolled  before  his  son's  wondering  eyes. 

"My  rifle!"  cried  the  young  man  at  last,  with  a  gasp 
of  pleasure,  and  hugging  it  to  his  bosom  notwithstand- 
ing the  abundant  grease  with  which  it  was  covered. 

* '  He  has  kept  it  clean  all  these  years, ' '  said  his  mother 
proudly. 

"And  let  no  one  use  it,"  added  his  father.  "See, 
here  are  cartridges  also!" 

Horacio  turned  the  weapon  over  and  over,  wiped 
the  grease  from  it,  and  put  it  to  his  shoulder. 

"Hast  thou  a  horse  to  spare,  my  father?"  he  asked 
suddenly.  "If  there  is  an  extra  horse  here  I  shall  re- 
serve my  story  for  by-and-by  and  take  a  short  turn 
down  the  road." 

"I  have  a  poor  sort  of  a  beast  here.  He  is  scarcely 
a  reasonable  excuse  for  a  horse,  but  perhaps  he  will 
serve,"  and  he  led  the  way  to  the  stable. 

Horacio  shouldered  the  gun,  after  filling  the  mag- 
azine and  his  pockets  with  cartridges,  and  rode  off 
down  the  trail  in  the  direction  of  Sor  Andre's  plan- 
tation, expecting  to  meet  his  brothers  on  the  way. 

Much  to  his  surprise  he  had  ridden  for  an  hour 
and  a  half  without  encountering  any  one,  when  he 
came  to  a  cross-roads  and  a  cabin  of  thatch.  Here 
he  learned  that  a  road  led  down  to  the  river  and  no- 
ticed that  the  hoof-prints  of  Sor  Andre's  horse,  which 
he  had  been  following,  turned  off  and  followed  the 
river-road. 

Instantly   he   divined   what   the   wealthy   fazendeiro 


244  HORACIO 

had  planned  to  do,  and  turned  his  horse  also  toward 
the  river.  He  had  not  gone  a  hundred  meters,  how- 
ever, when  he  checked  the  horse  and  turned  back. 

"What  use,"  said  he  to  himself,  ''to  follow  a  swift 
horse  with  an  old  crowbait  like  this?  No,  no!  It  is 
better  to  go  on  to  his  house  and  await  his  return.  If 
he  brings  Anna  with  him,  we  shall  square  accounts 
there.  If  he  misses  her,  as  is  more  than  likely,  be- 
cause of  the  long  start  she  had,  we  shall  settle  the 
other  score  and  be  off." 

Spurring  his  nearly  worthless  steed,  he  jogged  along 
toward  the  fazenda  and  soon  came  out  of  the  forest 
into  a  long  open  stretch  of  corn  and  pumpkins  which 
led  down  to  a  stream  upon  which  were  built  the  va- 
rious houses  of  the  fazenda.  Upon  the  farther  side 
great  meadows,  or  invernadas,  stocked  with  fat  cattle, 
extended  to  the  distant  forest-line. 

Near  the  creek  a  saw-mill  and  a  flour-mill,  with  other 
necessary  concomitants  of  fazenda-life  in  the  sertao, 
formed  a  large  gathering  of  scattered  buildings.  From 
the  meadow-lands  numerous  slender  palms,  which  re- 
mained after  the  ruthless  destruction  of  the  rich  tim- 
ber, thrust  their  graceful  stems  and  waving  crowns  up 
into  the  morning  breeze  before  which  they  swayed  like 
reeds.  Horacio  paused  a  moment  in  keen  appreciation 
of  the  beauty  of  the  scene,  then  slowly  descended  the  long 
slope  toward  the  house. 

At  the  gate  of  the  curral  a  horseman,  with  a  great 
coiled  lariat  in  one  hand  and  his  whip  in  the  other, 
ursred  A>!  with  word  and  gesture  and  blows  of  lariat 


SOR  ANDRE  245 

or  lash  a  bunch  of  cattle  that  were  crowding  through 
the  open  gate,  while  down  the  road  beyond  came  gal- 
loping a  remnant  of  the  herd  with  another  horseman 
hallooing  after  them.  Horacio  knew  that  the  man  at  the 
gate  was  his  brother. 

"Manoel!"  he  cried. 

The  rider  turned  his  head  and  waved  his  hand  to 
indicate  that  he  would  shortly  return,  then  closed  the 
gate  after  the  cattle  and  dashed  up  the  slope  to  aid 
his  comrade.  In  another  moment  the  remaining  cat- 
tle came  hurrying  down  to  the  gate  which  Horacio 
threw  open  for  them  to  enter  and  then  closed  behind 
them.  He  now  saw,  by  their  resemblance,  that  the 
two  vaqueiros  must  be  brothers,  yet  he  could  not  be 
sure  which  was  the  one  he  had  greeted  nor  whether 
he  had  greeted  him  aright. 

The  two  young  men  paused  at  the  gate  and  salut- 
ed him.  "Good  morning!  How  are  you?  Much 
obliged!" 

"Not  at  all,"  replied  their  brother.  "You  are 
Manoel  and  Jose  de  Castro,  are  you  not?" 

"It  is  true,"  replied  one  of  them.  "What  can  we 
do  for  you?" 

"I  am  Horacio  de  Castro,  your  brother.  I  have 
just  come  from  our  father's." 

"Horacio!"  cried  the  young  men  in  unison.  "We 
thought  that  thou  wert  dead!" 

"I  am  not  dead,  but  very  much  alive,  as  you  see. 
But  I  have  business  with  you  that  cannot  wait.  Come, 
an  embrace  and  explanations  afterwards!" 


246  HORACIO 

The  brothers  approached  and,  leaning  from  their 
saddles,  embraced  him  warmly. 

"Is  Sor  Andre  here?"  asked  their  older  brother. 

"No,"  answered  Jose,  with  a  sudden  flush  as  he 
remembered  something.  "He  has  gone  away  to  get 
mar — that  is — on  business.  He  will  not  be  back,  prob- 
ably, until  night." 

"On  the  contrary,  you  may  expect  him  at  any  mo- 
ment. His  business  has  mischanced."  The  younger 
men  glanced  at  each  other  intelligently. 

"Now,  I  have  sharp  business  with  Sor  Andre.  I 
want  you  to  get  ready  to  go  with  me  at  once. ' ' 

"Virgem  Nossa!  Ready  to  go  with  thee!  Senhora 
do  Ceu!  how  can  that  be?" 

"Never  mind,  but  trust  me  and  waste  no  time  in 
words.  Fetch  me  a  good  horse  and  I  shall  leave  this 
food-for-ravens  here.  Be  quick  now!" 

In  a  few  moments  the  two  young  men  returned 
with  three  excellent  horses  and  their  own  few  belong- 
ings. At  almost  the  same  moment  Sor  Andre  came  in 
sight,  galloping  down  through  the  corn.  His  beautiful 
horse  was  flecked  with  foam  and  reeking  with  sweat, 
and  the  blackness  of  anger  and  disappointment  lay 
heavily  upon  his  evil  face  as  he  came  in  sight  of  the 
three  young  men  at  the  gate.  Horacio's  rifle  lay  across 
the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  ready  to  his  hand. 

"That  is  my  horse  you  are  riding!"  shouted  the  fa- 
zendeiro,  without  saluting  him. 

"I  will  buy  it,"  he  replied  calmly. 

"And  I  will  not  sell  it,"  retorted  the  man  angrily. 


SOB  ANDRE  247 

"You  know  what  we  do  with  horse-thieves  hereabouts? 
It's  short  shrift  they  get!  Dismount  and  turn  him 
loose!" 

"I  am  trying  the  horse  to  see  if  I  like  him,"  re- 
plied Horacio  amiably,  and  touched  him  with  the  spur, 
causing  him  to  curvet  about.  "I  like  him,"  he  added 
with  a  smile,  "and  you  will  be  glad  to  sell  him  before 
I  am  through  with  you.  Don't  do  that!"  he  snapped 
out,  as  the  fazendeiro  made  a  movement  to  raise  his 
rifle.  "I  am  going  away  with  my  brothers.  They 
want  some  horses  and  the  balance  of  their  wages.  You 
can  take  the  value  of  these  three  out  of  what  you  are 
owing  them  and  call  the  balance  a  conto.  Are  you 
satisfied,  boys?" 

The  two  young  men,  never  having  seen  Sor  Andre 
conquered  before,  gazed  at  one  another  in  astonishment. 
"Oh,  yes,  we're  satisfied,"  they  answered  with  cheer- 
ful alacrity. 

"But  I'm  not  satisfied,  curse  you!"  shouted  the  rich 
man,  with  a  string  of  oaths.  "This  is  blackmail  and 
robbery ! ' ' 

"Tut,  tut!  Softly!  Those  are  not  pretty  names," 
answered  his  tormentor  with  a  steely  glitter  in  his 
eye.  "Where  is  my  cousin  Anna?" 

It  was  a  random  shot,  but  the  villain  paled.  Horacio 
saw  it  and  his  heart  sank. 

"I  know  naught  of  your  cousin  and  I  care  less," 
replied  Sor  Andre.  "Come,  what  is  it  you  will  have?" 
You  are  three  against  one,  and  might  makes  right." 

"Nothing  truer!"  said  his  opponent  with  a  forced 


248  HORACIO 

laugh.  "  You  ought  to  know!  How  is  he  for  capan- 
gas?"  This  last  he  whispered  to  his  nearest  brother. 

"  'Tis  a  holy  day  and  they  are  all  away.  He  has 
only  kept  the  two  of  us  at  work." 

"Let  us  go  to  the  house,"  said  Horacio  aloud. 
"Maneco,  open  the  gate!  Sor  Andre,  will  you  have 
the  goodness  to  go  first?"  He  motioned  the  fazen- 
deiro  to  ride  on.  "Jose  will  relieve  you  of  your  gun: 
it  is  heavy  to  carry."  His  brother  reached  out  and 
took  the  weapon,  which  was  surrendered  promptly  but 
with  a  muttered  curse. 

"We  will  go  to  your  office.  Never  mind  the  cof- 
fee !  Maneco,  go  ahead  of  Sor  Andre  to  open  the  door ! ' ' 

As  they  approached  the  house  various  female  heads 
appeared  at  the  windows  to  gaze  curiously  at  the  lit- 
tle procession  and  then  turn  away  to  exchange  whis- 
pered surmises.  Possibly  the  nature  of  the  affair  was 
suspected,  without  regret.  At  any  rate,  all  dismounted 
and  entered  the  office  of  Sor  Andre  without  seeing  any 
other  signs  of  life  about  the  place. 

"Now,  Sor  Andre,"  said  Horacio,  as  soon  as  they 
were  seated,  "we  are  somewhat  pressed  for  time.  We 
have  gone  over  this  matter  once  before  this  morning 
— you  and  I —  and  we  have  concluded  that  the  debt 
is  discharged  and  a  balance  is  due  my  father  and 
brothers  of,  roughly  speaking,  about  the  value  of  the 
horses  and  a  conto  of  reis.  If  this  is  satisfactory, 
please  be  so  good  as  to  acknowledge  the  discharge  upon 
this  document,"  and  he  drew  the  contract  from  his 
pocket  and  threw  it  on  the  table. 


SOR  ANDRE  249 

The  fazendeiro  stamped  it  and  wrote  the  receipt.  A 
strange  willingness  seemed  to  have  suddenly  taken  pos- 
session of  him.  Horacio  suspected  the  cause  but  meant 
to  make  it  serve  his  ends. 

"Now  the  balance  due,  if  you  please!"  Sor  Andre 
turned  to  a  small  safe  and  counted  out  the  money. 

"Now,  boys,  give  him  receipts  in  full!  He  will  not 
begrudge  you  a  couple  of  stamps.  What!  You  can- 
not write?  Then  hold  this  gun  a  moment — you, 
Maneco! — and  I  shall  write  it  for  you.  All  right! 
Now  we  are  quits.  Adeus,  Sor  Andre!  Don't  try  any 
tricks  or  you  will  be  sorry  for  it!" 

He  backed  toward  the  door  and  covered  his  broth- 
ers' retreat.  "You  will  find  your  gun  at  the  edge 
of  the  wood,  beyond  the  corn,"  he  cried,  as  he  mount- 
ed, and  all  three  galloped  across  the  curral  and  down 
the  slope  to  the  creek.  Then  they  turned  their  horses' 
heads  towards  home. 

"Why  did  he  turn  pale  when  I  spoke  of  Anna?" 
was  the  thought  of  which  Horacio  could  not  rid  him- 
self as  they  hurried  back  to  their  parents.  "What 
has  he  done  with  Anna?"  The  question  was  destined 
to  be  resolved  that  night. 


XVI. 
FIRE  WITH  FIRE. 

A  LITTLE  more  than  an  hour  after  leaving  the  fazen- 
da  of  Sor  Andre  the  three  young  men  dashed  up  to 
their  father's  door.  Horacio  had  partially  satisfied  his 
brothers'  curiosity  on  the  way,  and  was  resolved  on 
the  course  which  he  must  now  follow.  He  already  sus- 
pected that  Sor  Andre  had  consented  to  his  just  exac- 
tion with  alacrity  in  the  hope  of  recovering  in  full, 
with  a  seasoning  of  revenge.  A  few  hours  would  suf- 
fice to  gather  in  his  faithful  capangas — the  instruments 
of  his  many  lawless  acts — and  those  who  had  triumphed 
for  the  moment  might  then  hope  to  eventually  hear 
from  him. 

There  was  practically  nothing  of  any  value  upon  the 
place,  and  Horacio  was  determined  to  emigrate  at  the 
first  edge  of  the  night.  To  do  this  successfully  was 
not  as  easy  as  would  at  first  sight  appear  and  would 
require  some  little  maneuvering.  There  were  before 
them  several  days  of  journeying,  encumbered  by  women, 
through  a  country  that  would  not  dare  to  succor  them 
nor  could  hope  to  attempt  it  successfully. 

It  was  now  three  o'clock  and  after,  and  Sor  Andre 
could  hardly  reach  them  before  nightfall.  In  a  few 
words  the  young  man  explained  the  situation,  hand- 

250 


FIRE  WITH  FIRE  251 

ed  the  money  and  the  contract  to  his  father,  and  set 
them  all  to  work  getting  ready  for  the  exodus. 

''Do  not  destroy  that  contract,  my  father,"  he  said, 
"for  the  land  is  thine  now,  and  some  day  it  will  be 
worth  money.  Now  let  us  get  together  what  we  can 
take  with  us.  The  girls  and  mother  shall  ride  and 
the  rest  of  us  must  walk.  At  dark  we  must  leave  the 
house  shut  up — as  though  we  had  gone  to  bed — and 
retire  with  the  horses  to  the  far  edge  of  the  clearing. 
The  pigs  and  chickens  we  must  leave  to  the  hospitality 
of  the  forest.  Let  us  turn  them  out  or  they  will  perish 
in  the  flames." 

"The  flames!  What  flames?"  asked  his  sisters  at 
the  same  instant. 

"You  will  see  when  the  time  comes.  'There  is  no 
egg  without  a  hen.'  Run  along  and  get  your  duds 
together ! ' ' 

The  preparation  for  departure  went  on  rapidly, 
while  Horacio  or  one  of  the  brothers  kept  a  sharp 
watch  on  the  road,  but  saw  no  one  save  the  caboclo 
who  had  been  with  Horacio,  and  who  brought  them 
the  news  of  Father  Joao's  death  and  thus  removed 
Horacio 's  last  scruple  in  carrying  out  his  plan. 

As  the  shadows  began  to  fall  the  entire  family  and 
their  possessions  were  collected  in  the  center  of  a  small 
open  space  in  the  edge  of  the  forest  beyond  the  clearing, 
while  Horacio  remained  in  hiding  near  the  house. 

As  yet  the  family  could  not  see  why  he  delayed  the 
departure,  for  he  might  have  been  on  the  road  these 
three  hours  ago  if  necessary.  They  were  soon  to  see 


252  HORACIO 

what  was  the  explanation  of  his  conduct,  for  they  had 
not  been  in  hiding  much  more  than  an  hour  before 
they  heard  the  distant  approach  of  horses.  As  the 
sound  drew  nearer  it  suddenly  ceased,  and  presently 
one  of  the  boys  reported  that  a  dozen  armed  men  with 
large  bundles  were  quietly  approaching  on  foot  and 
surrounding  the  house. 

They  could  get  no  further  news  of  their  movements 
for  some  time,  but  Horacio,  as  he  lay  in  hiding  close 
by,  saw  Sor  Andre  approach  him  in  company  with 
another  man  with  whom  he  was  in  earnest  conversa- 
tion. Pretty  soon  the  men  began  to  place  their  bundles 
against  the  house  and  retire  again  to  the  brush.  When 
they  had  all  disappeared  the  man  who  was  with  Sor 
Andre  brought  a  can  of  oil  and  visited  each  bundle, 
pouring  what  was  left  upon  the  doorstep.  He  then 
returned  to  his  former  position  near  Sor  Andre  and 
both  men  made  ready  their  guns.  Sor  Andre  himself 
now  lit  a  ball  of  cotton,  soaked  with  oil,  and  cast  it 
at  the  doorstep.  Instantly  the  house  burst  into  a  sheet 
of  flame. 

"Keady,  men!  Let  them  have  it  when  they  run  for 
it!  Pull  them  out  of  the  flames  when  they  fall!  I'll 
save  my  money  if  I  can,  but  the  festa  is  worth  the 
fiddler  in  any  case,"  he  shouted. 

All  the  men  now  rose  to  their  feet  and  chose  ad- 
vantageous positions.  The  fire  roared  and  lit  the  scene 
so  that  Horacio  must  have  been  discovered  had  they 
chanced  to  look  behind  them.  He  shuddered  to  think 
what  must  have  been  their  fate  had  they  chosen  to 


FIRE  WITH  FIRE  253 

spend  another  night  in  the  house,  and  his  finger  itched 
as  it  rested  on  the  trigger  of  his  rifle.  Scarcely  could 
he  conquer  his  longing  to  draw  a  bead  on  the  author 
of  this  barbarity  as  he  stood  like  a  silhoutte  against 
the  burning  house.  Wisdom  and  his  religion  counselled 
forbearance  and  he  slowly  wormed  his  way  back  into 
the  shadow. 

"Curse  them!  I  believe  they  have  skipped!"  shout- 
ed the  fazendeiro  at  last,  as  the  roof  began  to  fall  in 
on  the  doubling  walls  and  the  place  gave  no  sign  of 
life.  "Let  us  get  after  them  down  the  road!  They 
have  fooled  us  again  and  we  have  had  all  our  trouble 
for  nothing.  At  any  rate  I'm  square  with  the  hussy — 
curse  her!  The  Tiete  fixed  her!" 

The  blow  fell  on  Horacio  with  stunning  force.  Slow- 
ly he  raised  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder  and  glanced  along 
the  sights  which  the  flickering  flames  illumined.  For 
the  fraction  of  a  second  Sor  Andre  drew  nearer  to  the 
reward  of  his  evil  deeds  than  he  had  ever  feared  before. 
The  thought  of  the  dozen  armed  capangas  who  would 
be  left  to  fall  upon  his  helpless  family,  and  the  mem- 
ory of  that  group  of  feeble  women  in  the  forest  yonder, 
made  the  marksman  pause.  In  another  moment  his 
enemies  had  withdrawn  and  were  hurrying  to  their 
horses. 

Horacio  ran  back  to  the  little  huddled  group  of 
refugees.  "Muffle  the  horses!"  he  cried.  "Cover  their 
ears,  eyes  and  nostrils;  only  give  them  air  to  breathe; 
or  they  will  betray  us." 

Personally  he  superintended  the  work,  and  then  all 


254  HORACIO 

kept  quiet  while  the  cavalcade  of  ruffians  came  toward 
them  and  passed  along  the  road.  The  muffled  whinny 
of  one  of  the  horses  was  drowned  by  the  clatter  of 
hoofs,  but  two  of  those  that  were  galloping  by  threw 
up  their  heads  and  nickered  as  they  passed.  Fortu- 
nately the  riders  took  it  that  their  horses  scented  oth- 
ers ahead,  so  they  spurred  forward  and  soon  the  sound 
of  hoofs  was  lost  on  the  night  air. 

Horacio  now  collected  his  little  band  and  set  them 
in  motion  toward  Sor  Andre's  house. 

"What  is  this  madness,  Horacio?"  asked  his  father, 
who  was  filled  with  misgivings. 

"Nothing  of  madness,  father,  but  everything  of  wis- 
dom. We  have  no  hope  in  the  direction  they  have 
taken.  We  must  gain  the  river  by  the  other  road;  it  is 
shorter  and  our  only  hope  to  reach  Conceigao.  If  we 
were  to  work  our  way  to  Lengoes  and  Sao  Manoel,  we 
should  be  overtaken  long  before  we  came  to  safety. 
No,  no!  This  is  our  only  chance." 

In  silence  the  little  company  made  its  way  back  to 
the  cross-roads  and  then  down  towards  the  river.  Morn- 
ing was  breaking  over  the  tree-tops  when  at  last  they 
found  themselves  still  half  a  league  from  the  ferry. 
Rain  was  falling  heavily  and  caused  them  great  dis- 
comfort, but  at  the  same  time  it  obliterated  their  tracks 
and  added  to  their  safety. 

Suddenly  Manoel,  who  had  been  kept  a  little  dis- 
tance in  the  lead  as  a  sort  of  scout,  came  running  back 
to  tell  them  that  the  enemy  was  approaching  from 
the  river.  Horacio  turned  his  company  aside  into  the 


FIRE  WITH  FIRE  255 

forest  and  soon  had  them  hidden  from  the  road.  He 
then  returned  to  see  who  might  pass  and  discovered 
that  Sor  Andre  was  returning  with  six  of  his  capangas. 

« Exactly!"  he  said  to  himself.  ''You  have  left 
six  men  to  take  care  of  the  other  road,  after  learning 
that  we  had  not  crossed  the  ferry,  or  else  six  remain 
at  the  ferry.  Alas  for  us,  if  this  be  the  case!" 

The  cavalcade  passed,  cursing  at  the  rain,  cursing 
at  Horacio,  cursing  at  the  old  man,  and  cursing  at 
things  in  general.  When  they  had  been  lost  to  sight 
and  sound  for  full  thirty  minutes  Horacio  emerged 
from  the  forest,  and,  sending  out  a  scout  in  advance, 
as  before,  they  went  on  toward  the  river,  splashing 
through  the  slippery  mud  as  best  they  could.  Suddenly 
the  sound  of  a  galloping  horse  came  close  behind.  The 
young  man  turned  and  looked  back  to  see  the  fazen- 
deiro  bearing  down  on  them  alone  around  a  bend  of 
the  road. 

Instantly,  at  sight  of  the  little  party  and  Horacio 
walking  in  the  rear  with  ready  rifle,  he  checked  his 
horse  so  quickly  that  he  sat  upon  his  haunches  and  slid 
through  the  red  mud.  With  a  sharp  jerk  of  the  reins 
he  brought  the  animal  about  and  spurred  him  in  retreat. 

"If  I  let  him  return  we  are  lost!  I  would  it  were 
the  rider  and  not  the  gallant  beast  who  has  done  no 
harm  to  any  one.  Why  should  I  spare  the  man  who 
has  wrought  this  evil,  and  slay  the  noble  animal  that 
bears  him  away?" 

As  these  thoughts  flitted  through  his  brain  he  dis- 
embarrassed himself  in  an  instant  of  his  saddle-bags, 


256  HORACIO 

which  he  was  carrying,  and  brought  his  rifle  to  bear 
on  the  retreating  forms.  In  another  instant  they  would 
have  disappeared  from  view  and  it  would  have  been 
too  late.  A  sharp  report  rang  out  as  the  horse  turned 
at  the  angle  of  the  road,  and  with  a  great  crash  horse 
and  rider  fell  in  the  mud. 

A  bullet  had  passed  through  the  horse's  neck.  Sor 
Andre  lay  prone  where  he  had  fallen  and  for  a  mo- 
ment Horacio  thought  that  he  had  killed  him.  A  pang 
of  remorse  shot  through  him  and  he  ran  to  the  side 
of  his  fallen  foe.  The  splendid  horse  was  stone-dead 
and  his  rider  lay  beneath  him,  groaning.  With  the 
aid  of  his  brothers,  who  had  come  to  assist  him,  the 
young  man  drew  the  body  of  the  horse  from  its  master 
and  set  the  man  upon  his  feet,  only  to  find  that  one 
leg  hung  limply  beneath  him.  Sor  Andre  gave  a  scream 
of  pain  and  fainted  away,  so  the  young  man  laid  him 
on  the  ground  with  his  back  against  a  tree. 

"What  shall  we  do  now?"  asked  Maneco.  "If  we 
stay  to  care  for  him  we  shall  have  his  capangas  here 
as  soon  as  they  miss  him,  and  shall  lose  our  lives." 

"Would  they  injure  those  who  were  caring  for  their 
master?  I  cannot  bear  to  leave  him  like  this." 

"Ay,  that  they  would!     Thou  dost  not  know  them." 

The  fazendeiro  opened  his  eyes  and  groaned  again 
with  returning  consciousness. 

"Say,  Sor  Andre!"  said  Horacio,  "I  am  going  for 
help.  If  I  leave  you  here  you  will  die.  When  I  fetch 
your  capangas  here  you  may  bid  them  kill  me,  but  let 
my  people  go!  Do  you  hear?" 


FIRE  WITH  FIRE  257 

The  fazendeiro  looked  at  him  intently  for  a  moment. 
"Yes,  I  hear.  They  shall  go  free." 

Horacio  shut  his  ears  to  his  brother's  remonstrances 
and  bade  them  conduct  the  family  to  the  ferry  and 
start  across  at  once.  He  then  mounted  one  of  the 
horses  to  go  to  the  fazenda  for  ,aid,  but  as  he  passed 
the  injured  man  he  called  to  him  in  a  feeble  voice. 
Horacio  paused  and  waited  to  hear  what  he  would  say. 

"Young  man,''  paid  the  fazendeiro,  with  a  touch  of 
bitterness,  "I  have  played  and  lost.  The  girl  is  drowned. 
I  tried  to  stop  her  but  she  would  not  hear.  You  have 
had  me  at  your  mercy  and  yet  you  have  spared  me. 
Now  turn  back  to  the  ferry  and  take  my  whip  to 
Antonio,  who  has  half  my  men  waiting  for  you  there 
in  ambush." 

"In  ambush!"  cried  the  colportor.  "Then  they  will 
shoot  at  me  before  I  can  deliver  your  message." 

"Not  so,"  replied  the  wounded  man  between  groans. 
"As  you  pass  the  pao  d'alho  on  the  hither  side  of  the 
clearing,  whistle  three  times.  Antonio  will  come  out 
to  meet  you.  Give  him  my  whip  and  bid  him  come 
to  me  with  the  men.  You  are  free  to  go.  Make  haste 
and  clear  out  of  here,  lest  I  repent!" 

"May  God  forgive  you!  and  aid  me  to  do  the  same. 
Adeus!"  and  Horacio  galloped  after  the  others  and 
restored  the  horse  to  his  sister,  acquainting  them  with 
what  had  passed. 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  came  in  sight  of  the 
great  pao  d'alho,  and  Horacio  advanced  to  the  front 
to  whistle  three  times,  as  he  had  been  instructed. 


258  HORACIO 

A  moment  later  a  sturdy  caboclo  stepped  out  into 
the  middle  of  the  road,  and  Horacio  trembled  as  he 
thought  what  would  have  been  their  fate  had  he  not 
offered  to  go  for  Sor  Andre's  men.  Holding  up  the 
whip  toward  the  astonished  capanga,  the  young  man 
went  boldly  out  to  meet  him. 

''Sor  Antonio!"  he  cried,  l'a  message  from  Sor 
Andre !  You  know  the  whip  ? ' ' 

"Yes,  I  know  the  whip.    What  is  it  you  want?" 

"Sor  Andre  lies  at  the  turn  of  the  road  with  a  broken 
leg.  He  bade  me  tell  you  to  go  to  him,  and,  by  this 
token,  let  us  pass  freely. ' ' 

"Did  he  send  no  written  word?"  asked  the  capanga 
sullenly. 

"No.  He  sent  nothing  but  the  message  and  the  token, 
and  bade  me  whistle  thrice.  You  must  know  the  sign." 

"Maybe  I  know  the  sign  and  maybe  not,  but  what  if 
I  do  not  choose  to  let  you  pass?" 

"Then  you  will  have  to  settle  with  Sor  Andre  after- 
wards, and  with  me — now!" 

"Pooh!  I  have  you  covered  with  five  guns  loaded 
with  buckshot.  If  I  say  the  word  you  will  not  take  one 
step." 

"Nonsense,  Sor  Antonio!  You  have  no  quarrel  with 
me." 

"No,  I  have  no  quarrel,  but  what  is  to  prevent  me 
from  throwing  you  all  into  the  Tiete  and  keeping  the 
boss's  money?" 

A  cold  chill  crept  through  Horacio 's  veins  as  the 
fiendish  proposition  was  revealed  to  him,  and  he  could 


FIRE  WITH  FIRE  259 

not  help  but  think  how  easily  it  could  be  done.  Then  he 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  answered  indifferently,  "Do 
as  you  will !  God  alone  can  stop  you ;  but  you  yourself 
will  certainly  die,  for  my  rifle  is  now  pointing  at  your 
heart  in  my  brother's  hands,  and  should  anything  hap- 
pen to  me " 

"I  was  joking,"  said  the  capanga,  laughing  uneas- 
ily. ' '  Pass,  then,  all  of  you !  Quickly ! ' ' 

"Not  so!  I  shall  retire  to  my  people,  and  you  are  to 
pass.  When  you  are  gone,  then  we  shall  proceed." 

"As  you  please,  but  be  quick  about  it!" 

Horacio  retired  at  once  and  made  his  company  enter 
the  woods  and  conceal  themselves.  A  moment  later  the 
six  horsemen  passed  at  full  gallop,  with  a  great  splash- 
ing of  mud. 

"Now  haste,  my  father!  Haste,  my  brothers!  We 
must  improve  our  time  or  we  may  yet  be  lost.  To  the 
ferry!' 

They  pushed  forward  on  the  run  and  hastened  down 
to  the  ferry,  which  they  found  just  in  readiness  to 
return  to  the  farther  side.  Embarking  immediately, 
the  swift  current  soon  bore  the  thankful  family 
across. 

"Look  here,  my  friend,"  said  Horacio  to  the  ferry- 
man, as  he  paid  for  their  passage  and  showed  him  a 
note  of  twenty  milreis;  "how  much  do  you  gain  in  a  day 
at  this  business  ? ' ' 

"Oh,  sometimes  ten — fifteen — twenty  milreis,  and 
sometimes  nothing." 

"Well,  will  you  take  this  and  come  along  with  us  to 


260  HORACIO 

show  us  the  way?  Let  your  freguezes  wait  a  day  or  go 
somewhere  else  to  get  across." 

The  ferryman  hesitated  but  kept  his  eye  covetously 
upon  the  money.  "Perhaps  I  can  direct  you  just  as 
well  from  here?"  he  suggested. 

"No,  that  would  not  do.  Look  here!  I'll  be  frank 
with  you.  I  want  to  get  to  Conceiqa  before  a  neighbor 
of  mine.  There's  a  little  deal  coming  off,  you  see! 
Now  just  be  away  from  the  ferry  for  three  or  four  hours 
and  you  shall  have  this  note. ' ' 

The  man's  face  brightened  and  he  held  out  his  hand 
for  the  money.  He  had  been  absent  at  the  festa  all 
the  previous  day,  but  three  or  fours  hours  only  meant 
a  half-day  more,  for  it  was  early  yet. 

"I  can  do  that,"  he  said  promptly,  closing  his  fin- 
gers over  the  tempting  note  which  Horacio  relinquished 
to  him. 

"But  mind  you!"  said  Horacio,  as  he  let  go  of  it, 
giving  him  a  significant  look;  "if  my  neighbor  gets 
across  before  noon,  when  I  come  back  I  shall  accidentally 
shoot  at  a  deer  along  the  bank  here  in  such  a  way  that — 
you  understand?  They  say  that  if  one  pays  in  advance 
he  is  poorly  served,  but  I — never  miss!" 

"All  right!  All  right!  Never  fear!  The  neighbor 
shall  not  cross.  Enough  said,"  and  he  turned  away  to 
his  cabin,  while  Horacio  followed  his  little  band  of 
refugees  like  one  walking  in  a  dream. 

The  eyes  of  his  heart  were  blind  with  grief  as  he 
looked  upon  the  cruel  waters  of  the  Tiete,  but  no  tear 
was  visible  to  those  who  stood  near  him.  For  the  moment 


FIRE  WITH  FIRE  261 

his  life  was  to  be  wholly  theirs  and  he  would  not  think 
of  anything  beside. 

It  is  needless  to  follow  the  family  on  their  long  and 
painful  journey  to  their  old  home,  for  it  was  thither 
that  Horaeio  had  planned  to  lead  them  and  there  he  had 
planned  to  establish  them.  Now  that  Padre  Joao  was 
dead  there  was  nothing  to  fear. 

Six  days  after  leaving  the  ferry  they  reached  the  once 
familiar  spot  in  safety  and  camped  where  the  old  house 
had  stood. 

With  tools  which  they  had  purchased  on  the  way  they 
set  about  clearing  the  place  and  putting  up  the  frame 
of  the  house  again.  Many  tiles  lay  about  and  could  be 
used  again  for  the  roof;  and  what  were  lacking  were 
brought  in  carts  over  the  old  road,  now  so  long  untravel- 
led,  but  cleared  and  repaired  by  the  young  men  fol 
this  purpose. 

When  the  house  had  been  roofed  over  and  was  ren- 
dered partially  habitable,  they  turned  their  attention  to 
the  coffee,  which  had  long  been  overgrown  with  jungle. 
For  the  remaining  three  weeks  of  Horaeio 's  vacation  they 
cleared  the  brush  from  between  the  rows  and  found,  to 
their  surprise,  that  many  of  the  trees  had  a  small  crop 
of  coffee  upon  them.  It  is  true  that  many  had  died  and 
many  more  were  sadly  dwarfed  by  neglect  and  the  en- 
croaching of  the  jungle,  but  those  that  remained  would 
bear  enough  to  tide  the  family  over  the  first  year. 


XVII. 

THE  SEMINARY. 

DURING  the  last  week  in  January  Horacio  set  out  upon 
his  return,  accompanied  by  Jose,  who  would  bring  back 
the  horses,  and  a  few  days  later,  having  sold  his  remain- 
ing books  along  the  way,  he  stepped  off  the  train  in  the 
great  station  at  Sao  Paulo. 

So  busy  had  been  his  days  and  full  of  cares,  that  it 
was  not  until  he  had  embraced  Jose  in  parting  at 
Lengoes,  and  the  train  had  rolled  out  of  the  station, 
that  he  felt  the  shock  of  his  loss  in  all  its  real  significance. 

Now  on  his  long  journey  to  the  city  it  seemed  to  him, 
as  once  before  in  the  deserted  clearing  where  he  had 
sought  the  home  of  his  childhood,  that  he  had  come  to 
the  edge  of  things  and  was  looking  over.  Not  even  the 
blessed  responsibility  of  his  High  Calling  could  drag 
him  from  this  state  of  mental  and  spiritual  apathy.  To 
find  Anna  and  then  to  lose  her!  If  he  had  only  kept 
her,  and  not  sent  her  away  by  night,  she  would  still 
have  been  living! 

Then  his  heart  burned  with  a  fierce  desire  for  re- 
venge, and  he  regretted  that  he  had  spared  his  pros- 
trate foe,  her  cruel  persecutor.  For  a  few  moments  he 
planned  a  stealthy  return  to  Sor  Andrews  to  square  ac- 
counts. 

262 


THE  SEMINARY  263 

At  Sao  Manoel,  fortunately,  a  couple  of  schoolmates 
entered  the  car  and  diverted  his  thoughts,  keeping  them 
occupied  until  he  reached  Sao  Paulo.  Here  they  pushed 
their  way  through  the  too  eager  throng  of  white- jacket- 
ed carregadores  with  big  black  numbers  on  their  breasts, 
who  disputed  noisily  for  the  privilege  of  carrying  their 
luggage,  and  climbed  on  the  electric  bond  which  would 
take  them  to  the  Seminary. 

As  they  whirled  through  the  busy  city,  the  last  two 
months  with  their  stirring  incidents,  worthy  of  a  past 
century,  seemed  like  a  dream.  Was  it  really  true  that 
he  now  had  a  father  and  a  mother  of  whom  to  think  and 
for  whom  to  plan?  What  had  he  accomplished  by  the 
Scripture-reading,  prayer  and  singing  to  which  they 
had  unwillingly  listened  each  night,  in  the  new  home, 
only  to  please  him? 

At  the  Square  he  changed  to  a  bond  with  green  lights, 
and  was  borne  swiftly  to  the  higher  part  of  the  city 
where  the  College  and  Seminary  stood.  In  a  few  mo- 
ments he  reached  the  place,  ran  up  the  gravelled  walk 
and  mounted  the,  steps  of  the  Seminary — a  student  again. 

The  American  Rector  received  him  smilingly,  although 
he  himself  was  a  stranger,  for  the  former  Rector  had 
died  and  his  place  was  taken  by  a  missionary  from  anoth- 
er part  of  Brazil. 

The  young  man  took  his  bag  to  his  new  room  and 
found  his  trunk,  which  had  been  sent  over  from  the 
College,  already  waiting  for  him.  His  life  as  a  theo- 
logical student  had  begun,  and  was  to  be  marked  by 
many  new  experiences. 


264  HORACIO 

The  wife  of  the  new  Rector  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table, 
for  they  felt  that  the  young  men  lacked  a  certain  train- 
ing which  they  could  never  get  without  personal  con- 
tact and  a  bit  of  feminine  society,  which  could  never 
be  provided  for  them  by  outside  residents.  Accord- 
ingly all  thought  of  an  independent  home  had  been 
bravely  abandoned  and  the  Rector  and  his  wife  had  come 
to  live  with  their  boys. 

So  Mrs.  Wallace,  a  charming  little  woman,  presided  at 
the  table.  At  her  left  sat  Aunt  Carrie,  a  dear  little 
old  lady,  who  could  teach  the  boys  Greek  or  mathamat- 
ics  and  who  had  been  doing  it  all  her  sweet,  serene  life 
long.  On  the  right  sat  the  Rector  and  his  little,  old-fash- 
ioned daughter.  At  the  other  end  of  the  table  was  one  of 
the  Brazilian  professors  with  his  young  wife,  and  the 
sides  of  the  long  table  were  filled  with  students. 

They  were  not  many  but  they  came  from  all  parts  of 
the  great  country.  Most  of  them,  like  Horacio,  were 
"charity  boys,"  and  few  there  were  that  came  from 
families  of  any  means.  Here  was  one  from  the  distant 
State  of  Amazonas — a  typical  equatorial  native.  By  his 
side  was  a  tall,  handsome  fellow  from  the  South :  next  to 
him  a  Pernambuco  mulatto  showed  his  teeth  in  a  constant, 
cheery  smile.  He  had  served  four  years  in  the  regular 
army,  after  running  away  from  an  unhappy  marriage, 
and  was  now  a  widower.  Happy  Jose!  In  a  childlike 
Christian  faith  he  had  found  peace. 

Next  to  the  Pernambucan  was  a  slender  and  well- 
groomed  lad  from  the  city  itself — the  only  "man-of 
means"  among  them  all.  Beside  him  sat  a  school-teach- 


THE  SEMINARY  265 

er's  son.  His  father  was  earning  twenty-five  dollars  a 
month  and  boarding  himself.  His  mother  was  cooking  on 
a  fazenda  to  support  her  little  daughter  and  herself. 
Next  to  him  was  a  fazendeiro's  son,  and  thus  the  list 
might  be  filled.  Most  of  the  boys  were  in  earnest,  but 
a  few  of  them  were  "rice  Christians." 

Here  was  the  son  of  a  well-to-do  merchant  of  the  in- 
terior, who,  after  giving  three  or  four  hundred  milreis 
to  the  support  of  the  Seminary,  expected  to  keep  his  son 
upon  the  free-list  and  had  already  received  a  conto  for 
his  education.  His  money  from  home  was  spent  for 
gaudy  scarfs,  diamonds  and  "yellow-back"  translations 
of  putrid  French.  He  would  soon  be  erased  from  the 
free-list  and  perhaps  be  cut  off  altogether  from  the 
school. 

On  the  other  hand  the  young  man  whose  father  was  a 
school-teacher  was  given  to  drawing  the  long  bow.  He 
borrowed  money  which  he  could  not  pay  and  bragged  of 
the  great  fazenda  which  his  father  owned  and  of  his  dogs 
and  horses.  The  money  which  he  borrowed  and  what  little 
his  people  could  send  him,  went  for  clothes.  He  was 
proud !  The  Committee  of  Presbytery  were  about  to  send 
for  him  to  inquire  why  he  was  on  the  free-list  if  his 
father  was  a  wealthy  f azendeiro. 

The  orator  of  the  Seminary  was  also  here.  He  was 
chosen  as  the  official  spokesman  on  all  state  occasions. 
You  could  see  it  as  he  ate.  The  food  approached  his 
mouth  in  a  majestic  wave.  His  head  was  thrown  back 
to  receive  it,  as  when  uttering  a  lofty  period.  He  was 
not  at  the  head  of  his  classes,  but  he  could  pour  out 


266  EORACIO 

seven-syllabled  words  like  the  flow  of  a  river,  without 
even  the  necessity  for  a  subject  or  an  idea  to  his  dis- 
course. He  was  a  good  fellow,  but  a  little  vain  perhaps. 

Almost  without  exception  these  boys  were  guiltless  of 
home-training,  table-manners  and  all  the  little  refine- 
ments of  life.  A  pulpit  lecture  on  these  things,  once  a 
month,  or  even  once  a  week,  would  not  do :  for  one  might 
as  well  give  a  degree  to  a  donkey  loaded  with  books  as 
attempt  to  make  ministers  with  theology  alone.  The 
Rector  grasped  this  truth,  and,  heaving  a  hastily-checked 
sigh,  took  up  his  abode  with  them  and  invited  little 
Professor  Monteiro  to  assist  him.  This  dear  little  man 
was,  as  Aunt  Carrie  said,  an  amalgamation  of  Lord 
Macaulay  and  Lord  Fauntleroy,  and  would  be  a  staff  to 
lean  upon,  for  he  was  not  an  alien,  but  their  own  blood. 

Horacio  was  to  thank  the  memory  of  these  kind 
friends  many  times  in  the  days  to  come  for  this  now  but 
slightly  appreciated  sacrifice  which  they  had  made  in  his 
behalf  and  in  the  behalf  of  these  others.  A  minister 
needs  more  than  theology,  as  has  been  said,  and  he  needs 
more  than  theology  and  polish,  although  the  latter  helps. 
He  even  needs  more  than  these  two  and  love — he  needs 
common  sense ! 

The  boys  were  to  have  a  glimpse  of  all  these  things, 
and  it  was  a  precious  jewel  in  a  deep  mine  where  they 
were  to  delve. 

A  month  went  by  in  the  new  life — this  life  of  sub- 
duing boisterousness,  of  slowly  permeating  refinement, 
of  gradually  developing  thoughtfulness.  Horacio  had 
made  his  report  to  the  Presbytery  and  was  now  on  the 


THE  SEMINARY  267 

way  to  the  minister's  to  receive  his  monthly  allowance. 
A  rumor  had  come  to  his  ears  of  clouds  on  the  horizon, 
and  he  was  not  altogether  easy  in  his  mind  as  he  ran  up 
the  steps  and  clapped  his  hands  at  the  door. 

The  minister  himself  opened  and  bade  him  enter. 
When  he  had  shaken  hands  with  the  family  Senhor 
Camargo  drew  him  aside  into  the  study  and  handed  him 
his  allowance. 

"Sit  down,  my  young  friend,  sit  down!"  he  said, 
drawing  forward  a  chair  for  Horacio,  and  seating  him- 
self at  his  desk.  "We  are  come  upon  bad  times,  I 
fear."  He  laughed  nervously  and  continued:  "I  have 
bad  news  for  you.  Our  treasury  is  empty !  Worse  than 
that,  indeed,  for  we  have  to  find  some  interest  money 
which  must  be  paid  or  else  the  mortgage  on  the  build- 
ing will  be  foreclosed.  I  am  sorry,  but  we  must  hope 
for  better  times.  Perhaps  next  year " 

"Then  I  must  go  back  to  the  sertao!"  exclaimed  the 
student,  with  a  queer  grasping  sensation  in  his  throat. 

"No,  no,  perhaps  not!  We  can  give  you  board  and 
lodging,  and  you  have  a  little  money  from  your  journey, 
have  you  not?" 

"Yes,  I  have  sixty  milreis,  and  with  that  and  the 
thirty  you  have  just  given  me  I  can  get  along  for 
some  time,  except  for  the  books.  I  have  a  large  bill  for 
new  books  which  I  must  pay." 

"Let  that  go  for  the  present.  You  are  doing  good 
work.  If  you  desire  to  risk  it  and  go  on,  I  can  arrange 
for  you  to  pay  that  later.  Perhaps  we  can  continue 
to  help  you  in  a  few  months.  At  any  rate,  although 


268  HORACIO 

you  are  free  to  go  home  if  you  desire,  I  earnestly  advise 
you  to  remain,  especially  as  you  have  no  people  who 
need  you." 

"I  have  found  my  people,  sir!  They  are  well — that 
is — yes,  they  are  well,  all  well." 

Horacio  scarcely  heard  the  minister's  exclamations  of 
surprise  and  cordial  congratulations.  His  memory  re- 
verted to  the  incidents  of  his  vacation-trip.  "I  sent  her 
away !  I  sent  her  away ! "  he  kept  saying  to  himself,  and 
then  in  his  hour  of  financial  need  he  remembered  the 
bulky  package  which  he  had  left  in  her  care,  and  of 
which  he  had  not  thought  before,  and  was  angry  with 
himself  for  remembering.  The  minister's  repeated  ques- 
tion brought  him  to  himself. 

"How  did  you  find  your  people?"  he  was  asking. 
Horacio  gave  a  partial  explanation  and  arose  to  go. 

"My  people  do  need  me,"  he  said,  with  a  note  of 
regret.  "Perhaps  it  is  God's  will  that  I  shall  go  to 
them?" 

"Well,  think  and  pray  over  it  and  let  me  know  what 
your  decision  is." 

.  "Yes,  sir.  I  shall  do  so  and  let  you  know  to-morrow. 
Thank  you !  Ate  amanha ! ' ' 

"Ate  amanha!    Passar  bem!" 

The  young  man  went  slowly  down  the  street  with  a 
gloomy  face  and  a  gloomy  heart.  Why  did  all  his  busi- 
ness suffer  reverses  when  he  was  in  the  path  of  duty? 
There  was  Anna,  alas !  perhaps  she  had  been  in  the  way 
and,  because  of  this,  was  providentially  removed.  He 
had  not  thought  of  that  before.  Then  the  money  that 


THE  SEMINARY  269 

was  stolen  in  the  jail — which,  in  truth,  he  had  almost 
forgotten;  the  money  which  must  have  gone  down  the 
river  with  the  girl;  and  now  the  help  which  had  been 
promised  by  the  Presbytery!  Should  he  go  forward  or 
go  back? 

A  group  of  children  blocked  his  way  with  shouts  and 
laughter.  He  stepped  off  the  narrow  sidewalk,  in  order 
to  pass  them,  and  paused  to  see  what  they  were  doing. 
For  a  moment  he  could  not  make  it  out  and  then  in  an 
instant  he  divined  it. 

Two  little  Italian  girls  stood  on  the  walk  gravely 
turning  an  imaginary  skipping-rope.  Between  them  an- 
other was  hopping  and  dodging  the  rope  with  her  head. 
A  fourth  "ran  in"  and  hopped  a  moment,  then  tripped 
on  the  rope.  The  other  gave  her  an  outraged  look  and  a 
push  and  complained  impatiently  of  her  awkwardness. 
Both  stepped  aside  out  of  the  way,  in  order  that  the  rope 
might  swing  again,  and  the  whole  group  burst  into  a 
shout  of  laughter.  Horacio  laughed  too.  Here  was 
faith  indeed — the  evidence  of  things  not  seen.  There 
was  no  rope,  to  be  sure ;  but  there  was  the  good-will,  and 
— who  knows  ? — perhaps  the  rope  might  materialize. 

Horacio  stepped  into  a  "loja  de  ferragens"  hard  by 
and  became  their  providence.  A  yell  of  delight  went  up, 
and  the  student  turned  away  with  a  smile  and  a  fresh 
bit  of  courage  for  himself. 

That  night  there  was  to  be  a  special  function  at  the 
Seminary.  The  Rector  and  his  little  lady,  as  has  been 
said,  believed  in  the  humanizing  influence  of  ladies' 
society.  Once  a  month  there  were  to  be  games,  sweets 


270  HORACIO 

and  tea,  and  a  bunch  of  girls  from  the  school  to  help. 
Each  student  was  privileged  to  mention  one  young 
lady's  name,  and  then  the  Principal  of  the  Girl's  School 
might  add  a  few  more  names  to  the  list 

It  was  a  sight  worth  remembering  to  see  how  the 
courage  oozed  out  of  these  valiant  hearts  as  they  faced 
the  battery.  Even  the  state-orator  turned  pale.  Finally 
the  big  young  man  from  the  South,  with  a  great  blush 
and  in  a  trembling  voice,  uttered  the  name  of  one  of  the 
teachers  down  below. 

"Very  good!  Now  we  have  a  beginning.  Who  will 
be  next?" 

The  young  man  of  the  diamonds  rashly  gasped  out  the 
name  of  a  popular  divinity.  A  dozen  pairs  of  indignant 
eyes  were  turned  upon  him  like  so  many  rapid-fire  guns 
for  having  dared  to  do  what  all  the  rest  were  longing  to 
do;  then  a  giggle  ran  around. 

"Come,  young  gentlemen,  can't  you  remember  their 
names?  That  only  makes  two.  You  stare  at  them 
enough  in  the  chapel,  at  the  College,  I've  been  told. 
I  shall  say  them  over  and  you  can  let  me  know  if  you 
want  them.  There  is  Donna  Clara  and  Donna  Brigida 
and  Donna  Cocotta,  and — that's  right! — now  the  list  is 
filling  up!" 

Thus  the  adroit  little  lady  managed  to  screw  out  of 
their  bashful  admirers  a  list  of  the  fair  students  who 
were  to  be  asked  to  the  reception,  and  sent  it  down 
to  the  School.  Such  a  primping  and  fussing  before 
cracked  and  blistered  glasses  was  never  seen  before,  I 
warrant,  even  in  a  young  ladies'  seminary,  but  among 


THE  SEMINARY  271 

grave  theologues  it  verged  on  scandal.  What  a  brush- 
ing of  best  coats  and  straightening  of  ties!  What  a 
twisting  of  immature  moustaches!  Oh,  if  only  the  girls 
could  have  seen  them!  Naturally  the  girls  did  nothing 
of  a  similar  sort  themselves,  and,  if  they  did — why,  that 
is  their  privilege! 

Horacio  hardly  knew  what  to  make  of  the  commo- 
tion, but  suffered  himself  to  be  drawn  with  the  current, 
and,  laying  his  books  aside,  spruced  up  as  well  as  he 
might  for  the  occasion. 

And  now  there  was  a  great  grouping  about  the  doors, 
and  a  wringing  of  nervous  hands  and  a  fresh  twisting 
of  immature  moustaches.  At  last  the  green  lights  of 
the  bond  could  be  seen  rapidly  rushing  up  the  slope,  and 
the  scouts  that  peeked  from  the  Seminary-door  sighted  a 
bevy  of  girls  in  festive  attire  in  the  car. 

Such  fortitude  and  valor  as  would  have  been  required 
to  enable  them  to  step  forth  and  assist  the  fair  ones  to 
alight  from  the  bond  was  not  to  be  expected.  Besides, 
gentlemen  do  not  as  a  rule  help  ladies  from  bonds  in 
Brazil.  For  some  occult  reason  it  is  not  the  mode. 

In  another  moment  a  mass  of  white  and  pink  and  blue 
and  cream,  set  with  such  jewels  as  dancing  blue  and 
black  eyes,  fluttered  up  the  stone  steps,  marshalled  and 
headed  by  Miss  Holland,  and  disappeared  in  a  class- 
room, after  a  triumphal  progress  between  two  files  of 
quite  overwhelmed  young  men. 

Presently  they  emerged  again,  and  now  there  was  a  tre- 
mendous hand-shaking,  for  everybody  must  needs  shake 
hands  with  everybody  else,  and  that  made  some  four 


272  HOEACIO 

hundred  friendly  hand-clasps  and  four  hundred  cordial 
phrases  of  greeting,  all  in  a  minute  or  so. 

A  circle  of  chairs  stood  about  the  largest  room  of  the 
Seminary  close  against  the  wall.  To  these  all  dutifully 
betook  themselves  as  soon  as  the  salutations  were  complet- 
ed, and  the  young  ladies  carefully  ranged  themselves  in 
an  unbroken  line  on  one  side  while  the  theologues  took 
the  other. 

Now  this  was  not  at  all  the  mind  of  the  little  mistress 
of  ceremonies,  so  around  the  room  she  went,  with  fore- 
finger uplifted,  counting  and  nodding  merrily  and  em- 
phatically: "Um,  dous,  tres,  quatro,  cinco!  You  are 
cinco!  All  right!  Seis.  sete,  oito,  nove,  dez!  Just  go 
on,  counting  around!  That's  right!  Now  begin  again 
and  o  it  all  over,  so  you  won't  forget.  Very  well!  I 
am  going  to  stand  in  the  middle  of  the  room  with  this 
old  tray,  and  spin  it  as  I  call  a  number.  The  'number' 
must  catch  the  tray  or  be  '  it. '  Now  then — ready !  Here 
you  go!  Twenty-seven!" 

The  little  lady  twirled  the  tray  and  Twenty-seven,  who 
was  the  Rector,  caught  it  ere  it  lay  flat  on  the  floor.  A 
shout  of  appreciative  laughter  went  up.  It  was  new  but 
it  was  "dead  easy." 

"Twelve!"  the  lady  called  before  the  laughter  sub- 
sided, and  Twelve  was  "it."  The  fun  grew  fast  and  furi- 
ous, and  when  the  game  was  suddenly  checked  in  twenty 
minutes,  the  battalion-like  formation  which  had  pre- 
vailed was  smashed  into  smithereens. 

For  a  few  moments  they  were  permitted  to  catch 
their  breath  and  get  a  little  better  acquainted,  but  their 


THE  SEMINARY  273 

opportunity  for  conversation  did  not  last  very  long 
before  their  hostess  stepped  into  the  middle  of  the  room 
and  clapped  her  hands  for  silence. 

"Now  we  shall  play  'Eseoba,'  "  announced  the  mis- 
tress-of -ceremonies,  "and  as  there  are  too  many  for  one 
ring  we  shall  form  two.  Here,  my  dear,  you  fix  up  the 
other  and  I  shall  attend  to  this  one ! ' ' 

The  young  people  were  quickly  marshalled  upon  the 
floor  and  formed  in  two  circles,  within  each  of  which 
some  one  was  "it."  At  this  moment  Horacio,  who  had 
clung  to  his  books  until  the  noise  prevented  him  from 
longer  making  good  use  of  his  time,  descended  the  stairs 
and  entered  the  room.  At  the  same  instant  Mrs.  Wallace 
espied  him. 

"Oh,  Senhor  Horacio!  That  is  very  naughty!  You 
must  do  penance.  Come  here  and  be  'it'!" 

She  resigned  her  own  place  in  the  center  of  the  circle 
and  pushed  him  into  it.  "Now  tell  us  who  has  the 
brush!" 

The  brush,  which  was  in  somebody's  hand,  was  sud- 
denly rubbed  over  the  back  of  Horacio 's  coat  and  as 
quickly  disappeared  from  sight.  When  he  turned  he 
saw  no  brush,  but  there,  looking  him  full  in  the  eyes, 
was  Anna! 


XVIII. 
THE  RIVER. 

THE  night  that  Horacio  found  his  parents  again,  after 
so  many  years,  Anna  had  set  forth  on  Bonito,  in  accord- 
ance with  his  instructions,  to  make  her  way  toward 
Concei^ac.  Knowing  that  it  would  avail  her  nothing  to 
reach  the  Tiete  before  daybreak,  she  did  not  hurry,  and 
thus  she  hoped  to  spare  Bonito  for  a  hard  ride  when  once 
she  was  across  the  river. 

Strange  sounds  came  from  the  forest  as  she  rode 
through  the  night  and  small  creatures  of  various  sorts 
scurried  across  her  path.  Sometimes  it  was  only  a  tatu 
or  cutia,  but  once  and  again  some  larger  animal  plunged 
heavily  into  the  brush  and  wakened  a  momentary  flutter 
in  the  young  woman's  breast.  The  forest  was  indeed 
dark  and  fearsome,  but  Anna  was  a  child  of  the  sertao 
and  well  used  to  all  its  peculiarities.  Naturally  coura- 
geous at  all  times,  she  now  felt  an  additional  throb  of 
courage  each  time  that  she  reached  out  and  laid  her  hand 
gently  on  Bonito's  neck — Horacio 's  horse — and  remem- 
bered that  ride  of  long  ago,  and  who  had  sent  her  on 
this  one. 

In  her  bosom  nestled  the  package  of  money  and  the 
letter,  and  from  time  to  time  she  pressed  her  hand 
upon  them  to  assure  herself  of  their  safety,  just  as  she 

274 


THE   RIVEE  275 

had  done  that  night  of  their  flight  from  the  old  home 
when  she  was  saving  the  money  for  Horacio. 

She  reached  the  ferry  just  as  it  began  to  grow  light. 
The  cabin  of  the  ferryman  was  built  upon  the  farther 
side,  and  at  that  end  of  the  great  steel  cable  lay  the  fer- 
ry-boat also.  There  was  no  sign  of  movement  about  the 
house  that  she  could  see,  and  Anna  called  until  her  voice 
failed  her,  without  arousing  the  ferryman,  who,  if  the 
truth  must  be  told,  was  off  to  a  festa  at  Conceiga,  leaving 
his  patrons  to  curse  and  wait  or  hunt  some  other  ferry, 
leagues  away. 

Anna  did  not  of  course  know  this,  or  she  would  have 
spared  her  voice  and  sought  some  other  means  to  get 
across. 

The  hours  went  slowly  by  and  it  must  have  been  about 
ten  o'clock  when  she  heard  the  rapid  approach  of  hoofs. 
A  sudden  premonition  of  danger  caused  her  to  mount 
upon  Bonito.  She  looked  up  the  river  and  down  the 
river  in  search  of  a  road  other  than  the  one  which  had 
brought  her,  upon  which  the  rapid  beat  of  hoofs  was  now 
sounding  nearer  and  nearer. 

The  river  banks  were  heavily  wooded  to  the  water's 
edge,  and  the  road  which  led  down  to  the  ferry  came 
to  an  abrupt  end  at  the  brink  of  the  flood.  The  first 
rains  of  winter  had  already  swollen  the  stream  to  a  tur- 
bid and  sullen  volume,  which  drifted  lazily  along  with 
a  deceptive  .appearance  of  sluggishness  which  was  only 
contradicted  by  the  velocity  with  which  scum  and  drift 
passed  a  given  point  upon  the  shore. 

Anna  gazed  at  the  stream  and  then  back  at  the  woodj 


276  HORACIO 

and  knew  not  why  this  deathly  terror  seized  her.  The 
rider  rapidly  approached  and,  dashing  out  into  plain 
view,  drew  rein  in  front  of  the  bit  of  thatched  shelter 
which  the  ferryman  had  erected  upon  the  bank.  Instant- 
ly Anna  recognized  Sor  Andre  and  at  the  same  moment 
the  f  azendeiro  espied  the  girl  upon  the  edge  of  the  abrupt 
slope  which  led  down  to  the  water.  With  an  exclamation 
of  satisfaction  he  struck  his  horse  sharply  with  his  sil- 
ver-mounted chicote  and  thrust  his  spurs  into  its  side. 

It  was  well,  perhaps,  that  he  gave  her  no  time  to 
think.  With  a  half-gasp,  half-scream,  she  drew  hard 
on  Bonito's  reins  and  struck  him  with  their  long  loose 
ends.  The  old  horse  seemed  to  know  that  the  times  were 
perilous,  for  he  gave  one  mighty  leap  out  into  the  flood, 
striking  the  muddy  water  with  a  great  splash. 

In  an  instant  he  rose  again  to  the  surface,  with  his 
brave  rider  still  firmly  fixed  in  the  saddle,  to  which 
she  clung  with  both  hands  in  superhuman  desperation. 
Bonito  stretched  his  long  neck  out  of  the  water  and, 
blowing  spray  from  his  nostrils,  strained  his  eyes  to- 
ward the  other  shore  to  search  out  a  landing  on  the 
farther  side. 

When  her  first  terror  had  passed  and  she  had  recovered 
a  little  confidence,  Anna  gathered  up  the  reins  quickly 
with  one  hand,  and,  setting  her  strong  white  teeth  in  the 
leather,  drew  Bonito's  head  well  up  against  the  current, 
hoping  to  make  the  ferry-landing  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river. 

"Turn  back!  Turn  back,  girl!  Do  you  want  to  be 
drowned?"  cried  Sor  Andre  from  the  bank. 


TEE  RIVER  277 

His  voice  came  faintly  to  her  ears  over  the  rushing 
water,  and  seemed  to  belong  to  another  world  and  anoth- 
er time.  The  girl  did  not  even  turn  her  head  to  see 
what  her  enemy  was  doing,  but  anxiously  followed  every 
movement  of  the  faithful  horse  which  bore  her,  perhaps 
to  death,  but  certainly  out  of  the  power  of  the  fazen- 
deiro.  The  water  dragged  at  her  floating  garments,  and, 
had  they  not  been  light  and  scanty,  must  surely  have 
drawn  her  down. 

Bonito  fought  his  way  steadily  onward,  but  the  trees 
upon  the  shore  flew  past  and  soon  the  ferry-landings  and 
Anna's  watching  foe  had  altogether  disappeared  from 
view.  The  strong  current  was  rapidly  sweeping  horse 
and  rider  to  the  opposite  shore,  but  the  girl  now  saw  to 
her  dismay  that  the  bank  was  precipitous  and  crowned 
with  heavy  brush  and  forest  growth.  The  horse,  too, 
seemed  to  comprehend  the  new  peril  of  their  situation, 
and  having  lifted  himself  by  a  supreme  effort  high  out 
of  the  water  and  turned  his  head  from  side  to  side  to  see 
what  hope  there  was,  drew  the  reins  from  Anna's  teeth 
with  a  sharp  jerk  and  turned  well  about,  swimming 
straight  down  with  the  current. 

The  trees  now  flew  past  with  greatly  increased  rapid- 
ity, and  Anna  noticed  with  keen  anxiety  that  Bonito 's 
breathing  was  becoming  very  labored,  that  he  swam 
heavily  and  with  great  effort,  and  still  the  vertical 
banks  stared  her  in  the  face.  It  was  evident  that  in  a 
few  moments  the  brave  animal  must  give  up  the  fight. 
The  girl  began  to  loosen  her  skirt  in  order  that  she 
might  drop  it  down  over  her  feet  and  swim  for  her  life. 


278  HOBACIO 

Suddenly  they  swept  into  view  of  the  outlet  of  a  small 
stream  which  flowed  into  the  main  river.  The  angle  of 
the  bank  at  its  mouth  sloped  down  to  the  Tiete,  and  if 
they  could  reach  it  it  would  mean  safety  to  horse  and 
rider. 

"Bonito!"  cried  the  girl  in  sudden  exultation,  and 
pointed  with  her  hand.  With  a  snort  of  hope  the  intelli- 
gent horse  struggled  toward  the  narrow  point,  and  Anna, 
to  aid  him,  slipped  from  the  saddle  and  clung  to  it  with 
one  hand,  swimming  vigorously  with  the  other.  Thus 
lightened  Bonito  made  the  point  and  scrambled  upon  it, 
only  to  sink  to  his  saddle-girths  in  soft  and  sticky  mud. 
The  girl  gained  firmer  ground  above  him  and  stood 
there  wringing  her  hands  as  she  looked  down  upon  the 
noble  friend  who  had  brought  her  safe  over  the  flood. 

Bonito  lay  exhausted  upon  the  mud,  his  heaving  sides 
and  distended  nostrils  telling  how  gallant  had  been  the 
battle  and  how  nearly  he  was  spent 

"Oh,  Bonito,  Bonito!"  cried  Anna,  "what  shall  we 
dot" 

The  horse  turned  his  protruding  eyes  sadly  upon  her 
and  whinnied  in  a  sort  of  whimper.  The  girl  caught 
his  rein,  and  bracing  herself  firmly  against  a  root,  pulled 
with  all  her  might  and  encouraged  the  poor  horse 
with  cheery  words  to  struggle  out  of  his  miry  bed. 
Bonito  plunged  and  threshed  about,  but  only  wearied 
himself  and  gained  no  advantage.  Now,  at  last,  Anna's 
courage  gave  way. 

"What  will  Horacio  say?"  she  cried,  and  dropping 
upon  the  ground  she  sobbed  bitterly.  Bonito  whinnied 


TEE  RIVER  279 

again,  as  if  to  say,  ' '  Never  mind,  dearheart !  Leave  an 
old  horse  to  die  and  go  on  your  way.  My  love  to  Horacio ! 
Tell  him  that  I  was  faithful!" 

"Coitado!"  cried  the  girl  at  the  sound  of  the  feeble 
whinny,  which  she  seemed  to  read  and  understand. ' '  Thou 
shalt  not  die !  Only  hold  on  while  I  seek  help ! ' ' 

She  turned  and,  struggling  to  her  feet,  began  to  make 
her  way  up  the  bank,  when  a  splash  of  paddles  came 
to  her  ears  and  a  canoe  whirled  swiftly  down  the  small 
river. 

"Oh,  help  me  save  my  horse!"  she  cried.  ''For  the 
love  of  the  Saints,  help  me!" 

The  men  in  the  canoe  brought  their  unstable  craft 
about  with  a  sweep  of  their  paddles  and  approached  the 
bank. 

"Ohe!"  said  one  of  them,  gazing  in  astonishment  at 
the  horse  and  the  girl.  ' '  How  did  he  come  here  ? ' ' 

"I  swam  the  river  with  him,  and  now  he  will  die  if 
you  do  not  help.  Oh,  please  pull  him  out!  The  good 
horse ! ' '  and  a  sob  trembled  in  her  voice.  Bonito  turned 
his  tired  head  toward  the  canoe  and  whinnied  again  with 
a  note  of  hope. 

The  man  looked  at  his  companions.  ' '  That  is  not  very 
easy,"  he  said  doubtfully,  "for  we  have  no  ropes." 

"Here  is  a  lariat  at  his  saddle!"  answered  the  girl 
quickly.  "Oh,  do  not  delay  but  help  him  out!  He  is 
weary  and  will  die." 

1 1  Well,  quern  sabe  ?  We  shall  see.  Vamos,  compadres, 
and  lend  a  hand!" 

The  men  piled  out  of  the  canoe  and  moored  it  to  a 


280  EORACIO 

sapling.  In  a  few  moments  they  had  burrowed  with  the 
paddles  and  their  hands  into  the  mud  beneath  the  horse 
and  had  passed  the  rope  several  times  under  his  body. 
Then  all  four  pulled,  while  Anna  clung  to  the  reins  and 
called  to  the  horse  in  tender  entreaty. 

"Now — all  together!"  shouted  the  men,  and  Bonito 
struggled  half  out  of  the  mire.  "Now — once  more !  All 
together!" 

The  men  pulled  and  the  horse  plunged  and  got  upon 
his  knees.  A  moment  more  and  he  stumbled  up  the 
bank  and  stood  with  trembling  limbs  and  heaving  sides 
upon  the  firm  and  level  ground. 

"There,  old  horse!"  said  the  man  who  had  first  spok- 
en, "the  crows  will  not  pick  thy  bones  to-day,  so  praise 
God!  How  didst  thou  come  to  cross  the  stream,  girl? 
Didst  thou  hope  to  ford  it  in  time  of  freshet,  when  there 
are  two  meters  over  the  shoals  at  lowest  water?" 

"No,"  said  the  girl,  hesitating  to  tell  the  truth  "I 
found  the  ferry  deserted  and  must  needs  cross  for  a 
matter  of  life  and  death.  I  thought  not  that  the  cur- 
rent was  so  strong.  How  can  I  thank  you  for  your  help? 
May  the  Virgin  reward  you!" 

"Ah,  that  is  nothing.  So  that  old  vagabond  Jose,  of 
the  ferry,  has  gone  off  to  the  festa  at  Conceic.ao !  I  wish 
he  were  in  the  Tiete  himself — good  riddance!  Well, 
there  is  a  trail  a  bit  further  along  which  leads  to  the 
road :  it  is  not  far.  May  it  go  well  with  thee !  So  long ! ' ' 

"So  long,  and  God  go  with  you!" 

The  men  took  their  places  in  the  canoe  again  and 
pushed  off  into  the  stream.  In  another  moment  they 


THE   RIVER  281 

were  lost  to  sight,  while  Anna  sat  upon  a  stump  and 
waited  for  Bonito  to  recover  somewhat  from  his  won- 
derful effort.  After  about  half  an  hour  she  took  his 
reins  in  her  hand  and  set  out  on  foot  along  the  narrow 
trail  toward  the  main  road,  where  she  washed  the  animal 
at  a  small  corrego  and  rubbed  him  down  with  dry  banana 
leaves.  It  was  now  about  two  o'clock  and  she  must  be 
on  her  way  and  waste  no  time  if  she  would  reach 
Conceigao  before  night. 

For  about  two  hours  she  walked  as  rapidly  as  she 
could,  and  then  halted  to  purchase  a  feed  of  corn  for 
Bonito  and  a  mouthful  of  something  for  herself.  An 
hour  later  she  mounted  and  rode  slowly  toward  the 
town,  which  she  reached  a  little  after  nightfall,  weary 
and  hungry. 

At  Conceigao  she  had  friends  and  found  hospitable 
entertainment  and  a  change  of  clothing,  with  a  chance 
to  dry  the  little  bundle  she  had  brought  with  her  and 
the  dress  that  she  had  worn.  The  next  day  she  pushed 
on  toward  Jahu,  and  there  she  left  Bonito  with  his 
owner  and  took  the  train  for  Sao  Paulo. 


XIX. 
THE  MINISTER. 

HORACIO  stood  facing  Anna,  but  after  the  first  flash 
of  recognition  he  doubted  whether  his  eyes  had  served 
him  well.  How  changed  she  was!  The  girl  that  had 
parted  from  him  such  a  short  time  before,  clad  in  a 
shabby  calico  dress,  wan  and  sallow  and  worn,  was 
now  very  becomingly  dressed  in  a  pretty  but  inexpensive 
gown.  Her  face  and  figure  were  rounded  with  whole- 
some living  and  her  great  dark  eyes  shone  with  a  new 
light. 

Was  this  the  prematurely-aged  young  girl  whom  he 
had  last  seen  in  his  father's  house? 

Here  was  the  fast-approaching  fulfilment  of  all  the 
promise  of  beauty  which  her  younger  years  had  given! 
For  a  moment  he  knew  her  and  then  he  did  not  know 
her.  How  could  it  be? 

Mrs.  Wallace  was  gazing  at  him  curiously.  The  circle 
had  stopped  for  a  moment  and  then  moved  on  again. 
Anna  flushed  but  did  not  speak.  Some  one  rubbed 
his  back  with  the  brush  again,  and  he  spun  around 
to  catch'  him.  No  brush  was  in  sight  and  the  circle  took 
up  their  march.  The  next  time,  however,  he  was  quicker 
and  caught  the  holder  of  the  brush.  Taking  the  vic- 
tim's place,  his  hand  closed  firmly  on  Anna's  soft  palm, 

282 


THE  MINISTER  283 

"Is  it  really  thou,  Anna?"  he  whispered. 

"Yes,  of  course,  but  you  need  not  stare  at  me  so," 
she  answered,  and  held  her  head  proudly,  half  in  vexa- 
tion and  half  in  satisfaction  at  the  evident  sensation 
she  was  creating. 

The  brush  was  thrust  into  his  hand  by  his  neighbor 
on  the  other  side  and  he  passed  it  at  once  to  Anna, 
who  was  discovered  with  it  in  her  possession.  A  few 
moments  later  the  circle  broke  up,  and  shortly  after- 
wards Miss  Holland  came  to  him  and  shook  hands. 

"Why  have  you  not  been  to  see  us,  Senhor  Horacio?" 
she  inquired.  "Your  cousin  arrived  safely  and  brought 
your  letter.  I  bought  her  what  she  needed  and  put 
the  rest  of  the  money  in  the  savings  bank.  Dr.  Street 
has  made  her  a  special  rate,  so  the  money  will  do  for 
her  in  abundance  for  at  least  two  years.  She  is  to 
help  with  the  little  folks  in  order  to  justify  the  reduced 
rate." 

" Thank  you!  You  are  very  kind.  I  did  not  go 
to  see  you  because  I  did  not  know — that  is — I  have 
been  very  busy,  but  I  shall  go  there  soon.  Is  she 
contented?" 

"I  think  so.  She  has  improved  much  already,  and 
yet  she  does  not  seem  altogether  happy.  Perhaps  it 
is  because  she  has  received  no  news  of  her  people. ' ' 

"I  shall  go  down  then  to-morrow,  if  you  permit,  and 
tell  her  all  about  them." 

"Very  well.  We  shall  be  glad  to  see  you.  Bring 
one  of  your  companions  if  you  like." 

Mrs.  Wallace  beckoned  and  called  to  Horacio  to  help 


284  HOB  AC  10 

pass  the  tea  and  cake.  When  he  was  through  with  this 
duty  Anna  was  sitting  between  two  other  girls  and 
seemed  to  avoid  catching  his  eye. 

When  they  had  all  gone,  gladness  and  chagrin  to- 
gether teased  him  out  of  an  hour  of  study  and  sev- 
eral hours  of  sleep.  He  was  burning  with  curiosity  to 
have  an  explanation  of  the  mystery — the  double  mys- 
tery of  Anna's  escape  and  of  her  displeasure. 

The  following  day  Horacio  did  not  go  to  the  lower 
school.  In  the  afternoon  a  message  came  asking  him 
to  take  charge  of  a  mission  service  in  place  of  another, 
whose  turn  it  was,  but  who  was  ill  and  unable  to  at- 
tend. With  considerable  vexation  of  spirit  the  young 
man  consented  to  take  the  work  and  sent  word  to  the 
Mission  that  he  would  be  there.  He  felt  that  he  was 
under  too  great  obligations  to  refuse  any  such  calls, 
and  the  evening  found  him  threading  his  way  through 
crowds  gathered  in  front  of  the  lewd  pictures  in  the 
book-store  windows,  or  between  the  countless  squalling 
babies  and  through  groups  of  gesticulating  Italians 
in  loud-voiced  discussion  in  front  of  dingy  and  squalid 
houses  which,  in  the  daytime,  were  cheap  restaurants, 
clothes-cleaning  establishments,  shoe-shops  and  small 
stores.  This  home-life  of  "Little  Italy"  comes  into  be- 
ing between  six  and  nine  in  the  evening  on  the  side- 
walk, and  is  very  much  in  the  way  of  pedestrians. 

The  little  mission  room  was  dim  and  cheerless,  but 
the  crowd  soon  gathered  after  the  doors  were  opened. 
A  portable  organ  stood  in  the  corner  and  a  young 
German  was  at  hand  to  play  it.  The  heavy  air  of  the 


THE  MINISTER  285 

long-closed  room  soon  grew  denser  with  the  odor  of  the 
reeking  inhabitants  of  the  slums.  Portuguese,  negroes, 
half-castes  of  various  types,  and  Brazilians,  with  a 
larger  portion  of  Italians,  who  make  up  three-fourths 
of  the  population  of  the  great  city.  It  was  a  bit  of 
diversion  for  them  all,  and  yet  they  were  orderly  enough, 
save  that  some  moleques  amused  themselves  for  a  time 
by  making  huge  thick  pancakes  of  the  abundant  sticky 
red  clay  of  a  neighboring  vacant  lot,  and  slapping  them 
down  on  the  sidewalk,  after  punching  a  depression  in  the 
center  with  their  knuckles,  whereupon  they  would  burst 
with  a  loud  report  like  a  miniature  cannon-shot. 

By  the  time  Horacio  was  ready  to  speak  everything 
had  quieted  down  save  a  child  or  two  in  arms  in  the 
audience,  and  that  was  a  small  matter.  The  young 
man  was  blue  and  disappointed.  He  stepped  before 
his  audience  to  complete  as  quickly  as  possible  a  some- 
what perfunctory  task,  yet  so  strange  is  the  network  of 
wires  and  currents  that  control  our  human  coil  that 
of  a  sudden  he  felt  such  an  inspiration  as  had  never 
been  given  him  before. 

He  was  speaking  of  the  Pearl  of  Great  Price,  and 
as  he  spoke  the  Pearl  went  up  in  value.  A  realizing 
sense  of  the  hidden  meaning  of  the  parable  swept  over 
him.  His  little  talk  was  not  an  excoriation  of  Rome 
and  priestly  craft;  it  was  not  an  exposition  of  what 
little  he  knew  of  doctrine;  it  was  not  a  long  string  of 
the  biggest  and  highest-sounding  words  he  could  put 
together  to  make  anything  like  sense;  it  was  simply 
a  sketch  of  man  in  his  lost  estate,  in  his  poverty  and 


286  EORACIO 

wretchedness,  in  his  sin  and  degradation,  in  his  squalor 
and  suffering;  and  then  between  his  thumb  and  fore- 
finger he  held  up  the  Pearl  before  them,  and  as  he 
gazed  on  it  and  his  impassioned  words  flowed  on,  his 
audience  gazed  too,  and  here  and  there  an  eye,  be- 
dimmed  with  sin  and  vicious  living,  perceived  its  gleam- 
ing luster  and  coveted  it. 

Suddenly  he  paused  and  felt  that  sharp  reaction  which 
often  comes  at  such  a  time.  A  half-sigh  came  from 
the  listeners  and  they  sank  back  in  their  seats  from 
their  strained  attention. 

"Let  us  sing,  in  closing,  number  235,  'Oh,  say,  will 
you  go  to  the  Eden  on  high?'  Now,  my  friends,  my 
brothers!  I  am  only  a  poor  sinning,  suffering  one  like 
yourselves,  but  Christ  has  preciously  redeemed  His  word 
and  brought  me  out  of  bondage.  Can  I  help  you  ?  Will 
you  let  me?  Do  you  want  help?  Perhaps  my  stum- 
bling steps  have  learned  a  bit  of  the  road  and  I  may 
help  you  with  a  hand  or  with  a  word.  After  singing 
this  hymn  our  little  meeting  will  be  closed,  but  I  want 
to  talk  with  those  who  care  to  talk  with  me.  If  you 
have  a  question  to  ask,  please  stop  with  us  and  ask  it 
Now  let  us  sing!" 

Many  lingered  for  a  moment  as  the  crowd  went  out, 
but  feared  their  companions'  ridicule  and  went  on  their 
ways.  Although  so  many  had  shown  interest  only  two 
remained  behind,  and  one  of  these  was  intoxicated,  and, 
leaning  against  the  wall  in  a  corner,  slept  heavily.  A 
pang  shot  through  the  young  man's  heart  as  he  shook 
the  hand  of  the  young  German,  who  had  just  closed 


THE  MINISTER  287 

his  organ  and  was  departing,  and  then  he  turned  to 
the  sole  inquirer. 

He  was  a  man  of  thirty-five  or  thirty-eight  years, 
upon  whose  face  and  figure  vice  had  left  its  unmis- 
takable imprint.  He  watched  Horacio  slyly  out  of  the 
corner  of  his  eye.  Where  had  that  furtive  look  crossed 
his  before?  He  could  not  recall  where  he  had  seen  the 
man,  but  he  dropped  into  the  seat  beside  him  and  took 
his  hand. 

"Well,  my  friend,"  he  asked  dejectedly,  "what  can 
I  do  for  you?"  He  expected  to  hear  a  request  for 
money. 

"Don't  you  know  me?"  asked  the  man  cautiously. 

"Seems  to  me  I  have  seen  you  before,  but  I  can't 
remember  where,"  replied  the  student. 

"Well,  it  don't  matter.    I  met  you  once.'* 

"Where  was  it?    Tell  me  about  it." 

"I  want  to  know  what  is  this  business  about  the 
Pearl,"  said  the  man,  ignoring  the  question.  "There 
ain't  much  poetry  in  me,  you  know,  and  I  don't  take 
much  stock  in  this  sort  of  thing;  in  fact,  I  don't  know  as 
I  care  anyhow.  I  was  just  curious — that  is,  I  wanted  to 
know" 

Horacio  heaved  a  sigh.  "I  thought  I  made  it  plain 
enough "  he  was  saying,  when  his  companion  in- 
terrupted him. 

"That's  true  for  you.  You  were  plain  enough.  The 
trouble  is  there  ain't  anything  to  hitch  to.  Where  do 
I  begin?  You  don't  for  a  moment  fancy  that  I  am 
very  well  contented  this  way?"  and  he  waved  his  hands 


288  HORACIO 

over  his  shabby  clothes  and  general  wretchedness  with  an 
air  of  disdain.  "You  were  talking  of  things  that  were 
different — of  things  that  I  have  dreamed  about  but 
never  knew.  I've  heard  this  sort  of  talk  before,  I  have, 
but  I  never  took  no  stock  in  it.  Now  I  know  there  is 
something  in  it!  Look  at  me  and  look  at  you!  You 
don't  remember  me?" 

"No,"  repeated  Horacio,  his  interest  becoming 
aroused,  "I  don't  succeed  in  placing  you." 

''Well,  I  left  you  in  jail,  at  Jahu,  without  a  vintem, 
while  I  skipped  out  with  a  pocketful,  and  it  was  all 
yours.  Do  you  remember  now  ? ' ' 

"Thiago!"  cried  the  student  in  amazement.  "I  re- 
member now.  You  broke  jail  at  Jahu  with  the  rest. 
Shake  hands  again,  now  that  I  know  you!" 

The  jail-bird  drew  his  hands  away.  "No,"  he  said, 
"you  won't  want  to  shake  hands  when  I  tell  you.  You 
may  call  the  police  if  you  want.  It  was  I  that  took 
your  money  from  under  your  pillow  that  night  and  I 
kept  every  vintem — six  hundred  milreis — and  precious 
little  good  it  ever  did  me,  for  I  gambled  it  all  away 
the  next  day." 

"Never  mind  the  money,"  said  Horacio,  stifling  a 
sigh,  "what  we  want  now  is  to  straighten  out  this  other 
matter.  I  had  nearly  forgotten  the  money." 

"You  must  have  struck  it  rich  then,"  said  his  com- 
panion, eyeing  him  suspiciously. 

"Oh,  no,"  protested  the  young  man,  smiling  as  he 
thought  of  the  actual  condition  of  his  finances,  "far 
from  that!  I  have  nothing.  In  fact,  it  is  only  by  the 


THE  MINISTER  289 

kindness  of  friends  that  I  am  enabled  to  study  in  order 
that  I  may  preach  the  gospel." 

'"Then  you  hold  no  grudge?    You  forgive  me?" 

"As  I  hope  to  be  forgiven!  Do  not  bother  about  my 
forgiveness,  but  get  right  with  God.  It  is  against  Him 
you  have  sinned." 

The  man  bowed  his  head  in  his  hands.  Horacio 
waited  for  him  to  speak.  Suddenly  he  groped  for  his 
hat  and  started  to  his  feet.  Horacio  touched  his  arm 
and  asked,  "Thiago,  shan't  we  decide  this  question  to- 
night? It  does  not  always  keep  till  another  day.  Jesus 
Christ  stands  waiting  and  saying,  'My  child,  give  me 
thy  heart!'  " 

Thiago  pulled  away  his  sleeve  impatiently  from  the 
restraining  hand  and  slipped  through  the  door  without 
a  word.  With  a  sharp  twinge  of  disappointment 
Horacio  blew  out  the  lights  and,  after  locking  the  door, 
walked  slowly  to  the  nearest  bond. 

The  following  day,  which  was  Sunday,  he  saw  the 
girls  at  church,  but  only  the  backs  of  their  heads. 
Anna  divided  his  attention  with  the  sermon,  but  he 
was  rewarded  with  no  answering  look.  The  next  day 
and  the  next  he  had  lessons  in  the  evening,  for  he  was 
now  doing  extra  work  again,  to  complete  his  course  as 
soon  as  possible.  He  longed  to  be  at  work  and  doing 
what  he  could  to  cancel  his  debt — in  service  if  not  in 
kind.  He  had  heard  it  said  that  none  of  the  boys  had 
ever  returned  a  vintem  of  these  advances,  and  although 
they  were  not  expected  to  do  so,  nevertheless  he  longed 
for  the  opportunity. 


290  HORACIO 

On  Wednesday  he  was  free  at  last,  and,  feeling  bound 
by  Miss  Holland's  suggestion  to  take  a  companion,  he 
pulled  Plinio  away  from  his  books  and  made  him  go 
with  him.  To  his  great  discomfiture  he  found  that  it 
was  the  regular  reception-night  at  the  School  and  the  sit- 
ting-room was  full  of  guests.  Miss  Holland  greeted  the 
young  men  cordially  and  sent  for  Anna,  who  came  in 
looking  very  demure  and  unapproachable.  Horacio 's 
cordial  hand  encountered  a  limp  one  and  froze  at  the 
touch  of  it. 

"Anna!"  he  had  cried  at  sight  of  her,  but  now  sat 
down  without  another  word.  Presently  he  found  cour- 
age again  and  went  on:  "Dost  thou  not  wish  to  hear 
about  the  folks?" 

"Oh,  yes,  tell  me!"  replied  the  girl,  with  a  quick 
gleam  of  interest. 

"Donna  Anna,  you  are  from  the  same  place  as  your 
cousin,  are  you  not  ? ' '  interrupted  Miss  Holland  placidly, 
as  she  approached  and  sat  down  near  them  to  help  them 
feel  at  ease. 

"We  are  not  cousins,"  replied  the  girl  somewhat 
tartly. 

"Not  cousins!"  exclaimed  the  lady  in  genuine  as- 
tonishment. "Why,  dear  me!  surely  I  understood  Senhor 
Horacio,  in  his  letter,  to  say  that  you  were  cousins," 
and  she  groped  for  her  glasses  and  felt  in  her  lap  as 
if  for  the  letter  in  question ;  then  contented  herself  with 
her  handkerchief,  which  she  found  lying  there,  and 
folded  her  hands  again. 

"We  were  brought  up  together  as  cousins,"  Horacio 


TEE  MINISTER  291 

explained.  "  She  was  the  step-daughter  of  my  uncle, 
and  when  he  died  she  came  to  live  with  us. ' ' 

"But  I  thought  you  had  lost  your  parents." 

"I  was  impressed  into  the  army,  and  when  I  re- 
turned, after  nearly  four  years,  they  were  gone.  I 
was  told  they  were  dead.  I  only  found  them  again  the 
day  I  sent  Anna  here. " 

''Ah,  now  I  understand.  What  is  it,  Effie?"— to 
some  one  who  leaned  over  her  shoulder  and  whispered. 
"Yes,  yes,  I  will  go.  Excuse  me,  please,"  and  the  good 
lady  hurried  away. 

Anna  turned  to  Horacio  and  asked,  "Are  they  well? 
Where  are  they  ?  How  did  they  get  away  ? ' ' 

He  laughed.  "First,  they  are  well.  Second,  they 
are  on  the  old  place  where  we  used  to  live  together. 
Third,  they  ran  away.  What  else?" 

"And  Sor  Andre?"  ejaculated  the  girl,  as  though 
fearing  that  he  might  yet  come  to  trouble  her. 

"He  is  nursing  a  broken  leg  and  has  probably  en- 
tirely forgotten  thee  by  now.  He  firmly  thinks  that 
thou  art  dead." 

"He  thinks  that  I  am  dead?" 

"Yes,  why  not?  He  saw  thee  floating  down  the  river 
on  Bonito  and  gave  thee  up  for  lost.  Not  only  that, 
but  he  reported  thy  death  to  us,  and  I  knew  no  better 
until  I  saw  thee  last  Friday;  for  I  have  been  to  the 
other  church  every  Sunday  since  I  returned  from  the 
sertao." 

Anna  shot  a  quick  glance  at  him  and  flushed  at 
some  hidden  thought.  A  thin  film  of  ice  seemed  to 


292  EORACIO 

melt  away  from  between  them  under  the  influence  of 
that  warm  blush. 

* '  I  was  just  about  to  write  to  Sor  Francisco  to  promise 
to  reimburse  him  for  the  horse — for  Bonito.  Is  he  still 
alive?" 

"What!  didst  thou  not  return  by  way  of  Jahu?" 
she  exclaimed.  Horacio's  heart  glowed  at  the  return  to 
the  "thou."  "Didst  thou  not  see  Sor  Francisco?" 

"No,  I  returned  by  Lengoes.  So  the  horse  is  still 
alive  also?" 

"Yes,  the  horse  is  well,"  and  she  briefly  recounted 
the  story  of  her  marvellous  escape.  Horacio's  eyes  glis- 
tened, but  he  did  not  interrupt  her.  When  she  had 
finished  he  told  of  their  own  adventures,  and  concluded 
by  saying,  "I  wanted  to  come  and  see  thee  on  Sat- 
urday, but  could  not,  for  I  was  obliged  to  go  to  the 
mission  service  in  the  Braz.  I  have  much  more  to  say 
to  thee,  but  they  are  going  now  and  I  suppose  I  must 
go  also." 

"Wait  until  tea  is  served.  Thou  dost  not  need  to 
go.  The  rest  are  going  for  some  other  reason :  I  think 
they  have  something  else  on  hand." 

Horacio's  heart  grew  warm  at  the  invitation.  He 
looked  across  at  Plinio.  Plinio  was  evidently  prepar- 
ing to  go  with  the  others. 

"There  is  a  magic-lantern  entertainment  at  the 
church,"  he  explained.  Horacio  had  altogether  for- 
gotten it,  but  he  remembered  when  he  was  reminded. 

"You  go  along,"  he  urged.  "I  must  stay  and  talk 
business  with  my  cousin." 


THE  MINISTER  293 

"You  don't  mind  my  leaving  you  then?"  asked  his 
companion.  ' '  All  right !  I  '11  go, ' '  and  he  hurried  after 
the  others. 

"Well,  well!  We  are  quite  deserted,"  said  Miss 
Holland  plaintively.  "You  are  going  to  stay,  Senhor 
Horacio?  Then  I'll  send  for  the  tea  and  we  can  have 
it  all  to  ourselves,"  and  she  disappeared  through  the 
door. 

"Anna!"  cried  Horacio,  when  she  had  disappeared 
in  the  dining-room,  "I  cannot  talk  to  thee  as  one  can 
talk  in  the  sertao.  Thou  art  not  the  same  Anna;  I  am 
afraid  of  thee.  Tell  me,  art  thou — contented  here  at 
the  School?" 

Now  this  was  not  at  all  what  Horacio  had  meant 
to  say,  but  his  courage  failed  him.  Anna  pursed  her 
lips  dubiously.  "I  was  about  to  ask  thee  to  let  me 
go  home,"  she  said,  but  with  a  mischievous  twinkle 
in  her  eye. 

"Let — thee — go — home?  And  what  will  become  of 
thy  schooling,  and — of — me?" 

"I  think  thou  canst  take  care  of  thyself,"  she  an- 
swered, laughing  gently  to  herself,  "and  they  must 
need  me  at  home." 

"Need  thee!  Nonsense!  There  are  two  strapping 
girls  to  help  in  the  house,  and  they  do  not  need  thee 
a  bit.  Besides,  they  think  that  thou  art  drowned  and 
have  already  forgotten  thee." 

This  last  was  a  bit  of  teasing,  but  it  hurt.  A  tear 
quivered  under  the  long  lashes.  Horacio  saw  it  and 
was  crushed. 


294  HORACIO 

"Oh,  Anna,  forgive  me!  I  was  joking.  How  could 
they — how  could  any  one  forget  thee?" 

The  girl  looked  thoughtful.  Miss  Holland  was  still 
busy  about  the  tea  and  had  not  reappeared. 

"Thou  seest — "  she  began,  and  hesitated.  After  a 
little  moment  she  continued,  "Thou  seest — I  do  not  like 
— I  cannot — oh,  how  can  I  say  it? — I  ought  not  to  ac- 
cept this  help  from  thee." 

Horacio's  heart  sank.  "Why  didst  thou  not  think 
of  that  before  coming  here  in  the  first  place?  This 
did  not  come  to  thine  head  the  other  day  there  in  the 
forest.  Wast  thou  only  afraid  of  Sor  Andre?" 

She  looked  at  him  out  of  a  corner  of  her  eye  and 
he  was  filled  with  dismay  and  even  remorse,  although 
he  felt  that  somehow  he  was  being  ill-used. 

"Wilt  thou  not  accept  that  little  from  a — cousin — 
a — a — brother?"  he  asked,  and  saw  that  he  had  made 
bad  worse,  although  he  did  not  know  why. 

"That  is  what  thou  saidst  when  thou  sentest  me 
here,"  she  almost  whispered,  with  a  queer  little  gasp, 
between  a  laugh  and  a  sob. 

"What  wouldst  thou  have  me  say,  perverse  girl?  If 
thou  wilt  not  accept  from  a  brother  or  a  cousin,  from 
whom,  then,  wilt  thou  accept?  Anna — thou  dost  not 
mean — ?  Am  I  stupid  or  only  a  fool?" 

His  old  comrade  glanced  up  at  him  with  a  look  that 
was  made  up  of  mischief,  amusement,  pity  and  a  trace 
of  doubt,  but  as  he  caught  her  eye  hoth  sprang  to 
their  feet  as  if  moved  by  a  common  impulse.  The 
sight  that  greeted  Miss  Holland's  perturbed  vision,  w 


TEE  MINISTER  295 

she  pushed  open  the  door  with  the  tea-tray  a  moment 
later,  was  enough  to  spoil  the  reputation  of  a  double 
dozen  of  girls'  schools. 

"Tut,  tut!  What  is  this?"  she  cried  somewhat  stern- 
ly. 

"Oh,  Miss  Holland,  we  are  awfully  sorry,  but  we 
have  had  no  other  chance,"  exclaimed  Horacio  with 
an  embarrassed  laugh.  "I  have  not  seen  her  for  years, 
and  never  can  find  her  alone;  and  now  all  our  mud- 
dled affairs  are  straightened  out  at  last  and  she  is  going 
to  be  my  wife  some  day.  Please  forgive  us!" 

"Well,  it  is  pretty  bad!  What  will  our  neighbors 
say  who  may  be  looking  in  our  windows  from  across 
the  street?  A  young  man  making  love  to  one  of  our 
girls!  Fie!  Why,  it  would  empty  our  school  in  a 
week,  and  with  reason!" 

"Oh,  we  shan't  do  it  any  more.  Anna  will  stay  with 
you  until  I  have  finished  my  work  at  the  Seminary, 
and  then  she  will  be  a  preacher's  wife." 

"Very  well!  But  meanwhile  she  is  a  school-girl,  and 
I  will  see  that  she  has  at  least  two  chaperones  when  you 
are  near.  I  am  horrified!"  and  she  smiled  amiably. 
"Now,  come,  our  tea  is  getting  cold." 

Horacio  gave  a  mock  groan  and  then  laughed.  "I 
am  not  afraid  of  you,"  he  said,  "and  if  you  will  not 
be  too  hard  on  us  I  promise  to  be  good." 

She  shook  her  head  grimly  at  them  both  and  passed 
them  tea  and  cake.  When  they  had  eaten,  the  young 
man  shook  hands  and  departed. 

After  he  had  gone  the  elder  woman  slipped  an  arm 


296  HORACIO 

about  the  younger  one's  waist  and  whispered  in  her 
ear,  "Did  you  think  that  I  was  long  about  the  tea, 
my  dear?  The  servant  might  have  brought  it,  you 
know.  Oh,  by  the  way,"  gazing  about  the  room  in 
well-feigned  surprise;  "I  wonder  if  it  was  I  that  pulled 
the  curtain  down!  This  is  quite  unusual.  Deary 
me !  I  am  getting  very  absent-minded. ' ' 

Anna  blushed  and  her  companion  took  her  face  be- 
tween her  hands  and  kissed  her  on  both  cheeks. 

"Now  run  along  to  bed,  my  dear,  and  dream  sweet 
dreams!"  she  said,  and  pushed  her  playfully  from  her. 

Horacio  heard  nothing  further  of  Thiago  until  a 
month  had  passed  by.  He  was  fast  getting  to  the  last 
extremity  for  funds  with  which  to  continue  his  course, 
when  one  day,  as  he  passed  out  of  church,  the  Italian 
who  preached  in  that  language  in  the  little  Mission 
in  the  Braz  handed  him  an  envelope  with  his  name 
written  across  the  face. 

"A  decent  sort  of  a  fellow  asked  your  full  name 
last  night  at  the  Mission,  and  handed  me  this  to  give 
to  you,"  he  said. 

Horacio  opened  the  envelope  wonderingly  and  found 
a  morsel  of  paper  and  three  notes  of  ten  milreis  each. 
On  the  bit  of  paper  was  written : 

"Thiago  wishes  to  get  square  with  you  before  he 
gets  square  with  Him.  30$000  on  account." 

The  following  Saturday  evening  he  attended  the  ser- 
vice at  the  Mission,  but  the  man  was  not  there.  The 
next  week  he  remained  away  and  the  Italian  reported 
that  Thiago  had  been  present.  Evidently  strategy  would 


TEE  MINISTER  297 

have  to  be  used.  The  next  Saturday  Horacio  waited 
until  the  service  was  half  completed  and  then  slipped 
in  quietly  and  sat  down  near  the  door.  He  at  once 
saw  with  great  satisfaction  that  he  had  penned  the  ex- 
convict  into  a  corner.  When  the  meeting  was  over  he 
moved  along  the  bench  and  shook  hands  with  him. 

"Why  do  you  avoid  me,  friend  Thiago?"  he  asked. 
The  man  laughed  nervously  and  hung  his  head.  Horacio 
suspected  that  he  feared  to  trust  his  own  strength,  and 
added  hastily,  "How  is  the  soul?  I  see  that  the  body 
is  in  better  shape." 

Thiago  looked  up.  "I  am  working  now  for  the  'Light 
and  Power,'  as  motorman  on  a  bond.  I  want  to  pay 
you  back  what  I  owe  you,  but  I  can  only  send  you  a 
little  money  every  month.  Have  patience  and  I  will 
make  it  all  right!  Then  I'll  feel  better  about  hunting 
the  Pearl." 

"Thiago,  you  are  right  about  paying  the  money,  and 
it  will  enable  me  to  complete  my  education,  but  I  should 
prefer  to  lose  it  all  rather  than  have  you  delay  the 
other  matter.  By  paying  the  money  you  cannot  make 
yourself  one  whit  more  fit  for  the  Kingdom.  You  can 
never  be  fit  for  that!  Only  Christ  is  worthy,  and  you 
must  come  just  as  you  are  and  attend  to  the  other  mat- 
ters afterward.  Do  you  understand?" 

The  man  looked  disappointed.  "I  thought  that  He 
would  be  better  satisfied,"  he  muttered. 

"Ay,  that  is  true,  but  He  wants  you  just  as  you  are, 
and  all  these  other  things  you  can  do  for  love  of  Him 
afterward.  'By  grace  are  ye  saved,  through  faith, 


298  HORACIO 

and  that  not  of  yourselves.  Not  of  works,  lest  any 
man  should  boast '  That  is  what  the  Apostle  Paul  says. 
Don't  you  see  it?" 

"So  I  can  come  just  as  I  am?" 

"Yes." 

"And  supposing  I  do  not  pay  the  money  afterward?" 
with  a  momentary  return  of  his  old  sly  look. 

"That  is  for  you  to  settle  with  Him.  I  have  no  fear 
for  my  money,"  he  added  with  a  smile. 

"I  did  not  understand  that  it  was  free,"  objected 
the  man;  "I  thought  that  the  Pearl  must  be  bought." 

"So  it  must  be.  You  must  give  up  all  that  you  have 
— man's  only  independent  possession — your  will." 

"Then  I  give  it!"  exclaimed  Thiago  joyfully.  "I 
understand  now,  I  think." 

"Let  us  pray!"  whispered  Horacio  with  emotion,  and 
the  two  ex-convicts  dropped  on  their  knees  together  in 
the  quiet  of  the  dingy  little  room. 


EPILOGUE. 

THREE  years  after  the  conversion  of  Thiago  num- 
bers of  country-people  might  have  been  seen  gathering 
one  Sunday  morning  from  far  and  wide,  from  sitio 
and  fazenda,  scattered  leagues  apart  in  the  edge  of  the 
sertao.  Some  came  on  foot  and  some  on  horseback,  but 
all  converged  toward  a  little  clearing  near  the  boundary 
of  the  property  of  Horacio's  father. 

In  the  center  of  this  clearing  stood  a  little  brick 
church,  in  whose  shadow,  upon  a  long  bench,  sat  a  dozen 
mothers  nursing  their  babes,  that  they  might  be  silent 
during  the  service  about  to  take  place.  Inside  the 
building  rude  benches  occupied  the  central  space,  a  table 
neatly  covered  with  a  linen  cloth  stood  at  the  farther 
end,  and  a  wee  organ — the  gift  of  an  American  friend 
— was  placed  in  the  corner  near  it. 

At  the  table  sat  Horacio,  and  at  the  organ  a  dainty 
little  woman,  whose  large  dark  eyes  rested  lovingly  upon 
the  figure  at  the  desk,  awaiting  the  signal  for  the  Dox- 
ology.  In  a  moment  the  young  man  nodded,  the  organ 
sounded,  and  the  row  of  mothers  filed  into  the  church. 
The  little  congregation  arose  and  sang  with  pious  fervor : 

"A  Deus,  Supremo  Bemfeitor, 
Anjos  e  homens  dem  louvor : 
299 


300  HORACIO 

A  Deus  o  Filho,  a  Deus  o  Pae, 
E  ao  Espirito,  gloria  dae." 

While  these  simple  people  worship  let  us  look  farther. 
Down  by  the  creek,  at  the  edge  of  the  clearing,  a  great 
bare  patch  of  rugged  and  scarred  ground  and  piles 
of  over-burnt  and  under-burnt  brick  and  tiles  mark 
the  spot  where  Horacio  and  a  couple  of  his  parishion- 
ers found  material  for  construction.  Some  of  the  fazen- 
deiros  provided  the  wood  for  the  timbers  and  shaped 
them  at  their  mills.  The  young  minister  himself  did 
the  chief  part  of  the  work  on  the  edifice.  His  salary 
is  one  hundred  milreis  a  month,  and  even  that  is  hard 
to  collect,  although  it  is  only  twenty-five  dollars  of 
American  money. 

Besides  the  little  congregation  which  we  have  seen 
he  has  a  trimestral  itinerary  to  cover,  which  includes 
some  twenty  groups  of  believers  and  carries  him  fifty 
leagues  from  home.  From  these  people  he  receives  a 
small  additional  stipend. 

A  little  cottage  near  the  church  is  his  home,  dear 
because  his  hands  have  fashioned  it,  but  dearest  by  far 
because  of  the  great  loving  eyes  that  are  the  light  of  it. 

In  a  stable  behind  the  cottage  stands  an  old  horse,  a 
present  from  Sor  Francisco  da  Gama  dos  Santos,  who 
is  now  a  stalwart  supporter  of  the  little  church  in  Jahu. 
The  horse  is  old,  but  still  has  plenty  of  joyful  vigor 
for  the  sober  service  of  the  minister,  and  bears  him 
whither  his  duty  calls  him  through  the  sertao.  We  know 
the  horse  and  love  him  as  well  as  he  knows  and  loves 
his  master  and  mistress. 


EPILOGUE  301 

Over  the  mantel  in  the  little  sala  hangs  Horacio's 
rifle,  and  its  days  of  service  are  no  more  ended  than 
are  Bonito's.  The  hunter  has  become  a  "fisher,"  but 
he  has  not  ceased  to  be  a  hunter. 

At  the  door  of  a  little  cabin  not  far  from  the  cot- 
tage, any  other  day  than  Sunday  an  old  man  may  be 
seen  turning  and  twisting  a  long  black  rope  of  "nig- 
ger-head," or  reading  from  a  great  brass-clasped  book. 
The  "nigger-head"  is  not  for  the  market  but  for  his 
own  faithful  and  malodorous  cachimbo.  His  aged  and 
devoted  helpmeet  is  either  busied  over  at  the  minister's 
or  is,  perhaps,  beating  fleeces  into  felt  for  saddle-blan- 
kets with  a  heavy  maul.  A  week's  labor  and  an  uncertain 
market  may  give  her  a  profit  of  five  milreis,  which  goes 
to  the  Seminary  fund.  She  has  enough  for  herself 
without  it,  but  means  to  enjoy  this  last  luxury  of  labor 
through  her  declining  years  or  as  long  as  her  sinewy 
old  arms  can  lift  the  maul. 

Old  Jose  Capitao  and  his  "woman"  are  companions 
for  Donna  Anna  during  Horacio's  frequent  absences, 
and  will  never  know  a  want  as  long  as  he  can  fill  it. 

And  what  of  Alfredo?  Not  long  after  the  Presby- 
tery dropped  him  in  despair,  he  secured  employment 
selling  tickets  for  the  "Jogo  do  Bicho,"  that  terrible 
animal-lottery  which  is  the  curse  of  Brazil. 

Sor  Andre  is  no  longer  the  terror  of  his  neighbor- 
hood. A  less  scrupulous  opponent  wiped  him  out  about 
a  year  after  he  had  recovered  from  his  broken  leg. 
The  little  farm  which  Horacio  saved  for  his  father 
has  lately  been  sold  at  a  fair  price,  and  the  money  has 


302  EORACIO 

gone  to  pay  for  a  bit  of  schooling  for  Eugenia  and  Luiza. 
Horacio  is  tutoring  his  brothers  when  he  has  leisure. 
The  little  fazenda  has  prospered  and  his  father  insists 
on  paying  for  the  tuition. 

Upon  the  roll  of  members  of  the  little  church  the 
names  of  all  the  de  Castros  figure  among  the  first-fruits 
of  Horacio 's  labors. 

One  of  the  Elders  of  the  little  church  is  called  Thiago, 
for  he  has  become  a  small  fazendeiro,  after  faithfully 
discharging  his  debt  and  pulling  his  friend  through  the 
rest  of  his  course  without  further  help  from  the 
Presbytery. 

At  the  last,  when  Horacio  graduated,  Thiago  made 
a  final  payment  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  milreis,  which 
went  to  purchase  a  long  black  coat  for  the  minister  of 
the  sertao. 


GLOSSARY 


A 

Amanha 
Anda 

Anta 

Araponga 

Alqueire 


Ate 

Adeus 

Anuinha 

Balsa 
Baile 
Bern 

Bengao 

Bizouro 
Bobo 
Bom 
Bond 


Bugre 

Bule 
Cachaga 

Canalha 
Capanga 
Capaz 


(ah)  to,  at. 

(ah-mahn-yang')   to-morrow. 

(ahn'-dah)   run,  go.     2  pers  imperative. 
Anda  ligeiro !     Run  quickly! 

(ahn'-tah)   tapir,  tapirus  americanus. 

(ah-rah-pong'-ah)  the  bell-bird. 

(ahl-Kay'-ee-ray)  a  measure  of  land,  an- 
ciently as  much  land  as  could  be  sown 
with  a  Portuguese  bushel  of  grain. 

(ah'-teh)  until-  At6  atnanha!  Until  to- 
morrow! viz.,  Good-night! 

(ah-day-oos')    adieu. 

(ah-neen'-yah)    diminuitive   of   Anna. 

(bahl'-sah)  raft,  flat-boat,  ferry. 

(bah'-ee-lay)    dance,  ball. 

(beng)  well.     Muito  bem !     Very  well! 

(ben'saoung)  blessing.  A  ben§ao!  May 
you  have  the  blessing! 

(bee-zoh  -roh)    beetle. 

(boh'-boh)  ninny,  fool. 

(bong)  good. 

(bohn'-day)  street-car,  tram-car.  So  called 
because  the  first  street-car  line  in 
Brazil  had  an  unfortunate  bond-issue 
connected  with  it  and  the  word,  used 
jokingly,  became  incorporated  into  the 
language. 

(boo' -gray)  the  naked,  untamed  savage  of 
the  Brazilian  forest. 

(boo'-lay)   tea-pot' 


raw    cane-brandy,    same 
ruffians. 


(Kah-shah'-sah) 

as  "pinga." 

(Kah-nahl'-yah)    canaille)   scum, 
(Kah-pahng'-ah)    hired  ruffian. 
(Kah-pahs')     capable.      An      exclamation 

meaning,  "Nothing  of  the  sort."  Evi- 

303 


dently  derived  from,  "Do  you  think 
I'm  capable  of  permitting  it?!" 

Cafezal  (Kah- fay-sal')  coffee-grove.  The  ter- 

mination "zal"  or  "al"  signifies  a 
grove  when  affixed  to  the  name  of  a 
tree. 

Carregador  (Kah'ray-gah-dor')  teamster,  drayman, 

porter,  carter. 

Cachimbo  (Kah-sheem'-boh)  tobacco-pipe. 

Caipira  (Kah-ee-pee'-rah)    countryman,  "hayseed." 

Caboclo  (Kah-boh'-cloh)  a  mestizo,  one  of  the 

mixed  blood  of  Brazil. 

Cabocliulio  (Kah-boh-cleen'-yoh)  diminuitive  of  "ca- 

boclo." 

Capoeira  (Kah-poh-ay'-ee-rah)    brush,  undergrowth. 

Credo  (Kray'-doh)  creed-  Cruz  e  credo !  Cross 

and  creed!  An  exclamation  like, 
"Goodness  gracious !" 

Criangada  (Kree'-ahn-sah'-dah)  flock  of  children. 

Que  crianc,ara!  Did  you  ever  see  such 
young  ones?! 

CMcote  (Shee-koh  -toy)  riding-whip. 

Cip6  (See-paw')  vine,  liana.  The  tropical  for- 

est is  usually  hung  with  a  perfect  net- 
work of  cable-like  vines,  some  of  them 
being  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter. 

Compadre  (Kohng-pah'dray)  relationship  between 

the  godfather  and  the  parents  of  a 
child. 

Corrego  (Koh'-ray-goh)  creek,  brook. 

Coitado  (Koh-ee-tah'-doh)  poor  thing! 

Conto  (Kohn'-toh)  a  million  reals.  About  $250.00 

American  gold  at  the  time  of  the 
story. 

Cruz  (Krooz)  cross. 

Curral  (Koo-rahl1)  corral,  yard,  stable-yard,  en- 

closure. 

Cutia  (Koo-tee'-ah)  a  small  animal  like  a  short- 

eared  rabbit. 

Da  (dah)  3rd.  pers.  sing.,  pres.  ind.  or  "dar," 

to  give.  Da?  Do  you  givef 

D'alho  (dahl'-yah)  Pao  d'alho,  a  large  forest- 

tree  of  Brazil  of  a  strikingly  peculiar 
shape. 

304 


Do  (day)  of,  from. 

Demanda  (day-mahn'-dah)    demand,    claim,   lawsuit. 

Dereito  (day-ray'-ee-toh)    right,  justice. 

Dia  (dee'-ah)   day.     Bom  dial  Good-day! 

Diabo  (dee-ah'-boh)  the  devil.  Que  diabo  !  What 

the  devil!  A  very  common  exclamation 
in  Brazil,  even  from  ladies. 

Doce  (doh'-say)  sweetmeats. 

(ay)  and- 

fi  (eh)  is.  3rd  pers.  sing.  pres.  ind.  of  Ser, 

to  be.  ' 

Enxadao  (en-shah-daoung1)  hoc.  The  heavy  Bra- 

zilian hoe. 

Engracado  (en'-grah-sah'-doh)  Hte'rally  graceful  or 

gracious.  As  used  it  means  "amusing." 
Que  engragado!  How  funny! 

Eitah  (ay'-tah)  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  ad- 

miration or  astonishment,  as  the  case 
may  be. 

Emiliazinha  (eh-meel'-yah-zeen'yah)  diminuitive  of 
Emilia,  Emily. 

Escoba  (ess-Koh'-bah)   brush,  whisk-broom. 

Eu  (ay'-oo)   /. 

Facao  (fah-kaoung')  big  knife,  Span,  machete. 

Fazenda  (fah-zen'dah)    ranch;    farm,    plantation. 

Fazendeiro  (fah-sen-day'-ee-roh)   farmer,  rancher. 

Farinha  (fah-reen'-yah)  a  coarse  flour  made  from 

the  cassava-root,  from  which  tapioca 
is  made.  It  resembles  grated  cocoanut 
in  appearance  and  is  a  staple  article  of 
diet,  being  sprinkled  over  the  meat, 
beans,  rice  or  other  food,  at  every  meal. 
"Farinha  de  mandioca"  is  the  full 
name.  "Farinha  de  milho"  is  a  coarse 
corn-meal. 

Testa  (fess'-tah)  fiest,  holiday. 

^eio  (fay'-ee-oh)   ugly,  dangerous 

Freguezes  (fray-gay'-ses)    parishioners,    customers- 

Fogao  (foh-gaoung1)  fire-place.  Usually  refers 

to  the  built-in  brick,  stone  or  earthen 
stove  in  the  kitchen. 

Fundo  (foon'-doh)   deep. 

305 


Garrucha 


Goiabada 

Haveres 
Horacio 

Inambu 

Invernada 

Jantar 
Jaboticabeira 


Jacu 

Jaguar 

Jeauitiba 

Joaozinho 
Juiz 


Leao 

Licenca 

Ligelro 
Loja 

Macaco 

Mala 


(gah-roo'-shah)  a  double-barreled,  muz- 
zle-loading horse-pistol,  carried  com- 
monly on  the  frontier  of  Brazil,  one 
barrel  being  usually  charged  with  ball 
and  the  other  with  buckshot. 
(goy'-ah-bah-dah)  guava-paste.  Eaten  with 
cheese  it  is  the  usual  dessert  of  the 
middle  classes  of  Brazil. 

(ah-vay'-rays)   goods,  possessions. 
\oh-r  ah' -see-oh)    Horace. 

(ce-nahm-boo')  a  large,  patridge-like  game 
bird. 

(in-vair-nah'-dah)  winter-pasture.  Usually 
a  pasture  sown  with  artificial  grass. 

(zjahn-tahr1)    dinner* 

(sjah-boh'-tee-cah-bay'-ee-rah)  a  fruit-tree 
common  in  the  house-yards  of  South- 
ern Brazil.  The  fruit  somewhat  re- 
sembles a  plum,  but  is  very  insipid  and 
does  not  appeal  to  the  unaccustomed 
palate  although  very  much  relished 
by  the  natives. 

(zjah-coo1)   a  game-bird,  somewhat  like  a 

pheasant  but  of  very  sober  coloring. 
(zjah-guar')  jaguar,  fclis  on  fa. 

(zjeh-kec-tee-bah1)  a  large  and  majestic 
forest-tree. 

(zjaoung-zeen'-yah)  diminuitive  of  Joao, 
John. 

(sjoo-eez')  judge.  Juis  de  Dereito.  An 
officer  of  the  civil  courts  something 
like  a  County  Judge. 

(lay-aoung')  lion. 

(lee-sen1 -sah)      license,     permission.       Da 

licenga?     Do  you  give  permission? 
(lee-zjay'-ee-roh}    light,  quick. 


(loh'-zjah)     store. 
Hardware  store. 


Loja     de     ferragens. 


(mah-cah'-coh)   monkey* 

(mah'-lah)  saddle-bag  made  of  a  very 
heavy  cotton  fabric,  in  the  form  of  a 
long  sack  closed  at  both  ends  and  with 

306 


Mamae 

Mamao 


Maleita 
Malvado 
Maneco 

Mandioca 

Matto 
Macuco 
Maluco 
Milreis 


Miseraveis 

MiUio 
Mixto 

Moleque 
Movem-se 

ModiiLha 
Monjolo 


Necessario 
Nossa 


a  slit  in  the  middle.  It  is  thrown 
across  the  cantle  and  the  rider  sits  on 
it,  while  the  ends  hanging  down  on 
each  side  contains  his  clothing  or  other 
articles. 

(mah-mah'-ee)  mamma. 

(mah-maoung1)   papaya,  carica  papaya-     A 

rapidly    growing    tree    with    a    slender 

shaft  which  bears  a  melon-like  fruit  in 

great    abundance,    hanging    about    the 

trunk  by  short  stems. 

(mahl-ay'-ee-ta)   malaria. 

(mahl-vah'-doh)    evil-doer. 

(mah-nay-coh)  diiminuitive  of  Manoel, 
Manuel. 

(mahnrdee-oh'-cah)  manioc,  cassava.  A 
root  from  which  Tapico  Is  made. 

(mah'-toh)  the  forest. 

(mah-coo'-cohy    a    Brazilian    game-bird. 

(mah-loo'-coh)   scroundrel. 

(meel-ray'-ess)  one  thousand  reals,  writ- 
ten i  $000.  The  "real"  is  an  ancient 
coin,  now  of  such  small  value  that  one 
thousand  were  only  worth  twenty-five 
cents  at  the  time  of  this  story. 

(mee'-zay-rah'-vay-ees)    wretches. 

(meel'-yoh)  maize,  Indian  corn. 

(mees'-toh)  the  freight  train  with  a 
couple  of  passenger-cars  attached. 

(moh-teh'-Kay)   gamin,,  street-urchin. 

(moh'-veng-zay)   are  stirred  up. 

(moh-deen'-yah)   native  folk-song. 

(mohn-zjoh'-loh)  a  wooden  dugout,  bal- 
anced on  a  horizontal  bearing  and 
armed  with  a  hardwood  pestle  at  one 
end.  A  rivulet  is  led  to  it  by  a  ditch 
or  flume  and  when  the  hollow  is  filled 
with  water  it  tips  up  and  spills  it  out. 
The  pestle  then  comes  down  with  a 
hard  blow  in  a  big  wooden  mortar  and 
the  operation  is  repeated  ad  infinitum. 

(nay-cess-sah'-ree-oh)  necessary, 
(naw'-sah)   our   (fem.) 

307 


Onga  (ohn'-sah)     the    ounce,    the    jaguar,    felis 

on^a. 
Oh6  (oh-eh')  well!,  gracious! 

Pala  (pah'-lah)  a  square  cloak  with  a  slit  in 

the  middle  for  the  head.  Similar  to 
the  Mexican  serepe,  the  Peruvian  pon- 
cho or  the  Colombian  ruana. 

Passar  (pah-sahr')  to  pass. 

Padre  (pah'-dray)  father.  Used  in  Brazil  only 

to  designate  a  priest. 

Patife  (pah-tee' -fay)   rascal. 

Patio  (pah-tee'-oh)   court-yard,  door-yard. 

Pao  (pah'-oh)   tree,  stick. 

Payol  (pah-ee-ohe)  corn-crib. 

Precise  (pray-see'-zoh)    necessary. 

Pinga  (peen'-gah)   raw  cane-brandy. 

Porcada  (pohr-cah'-dah)  herd  of  swine. 

Prompto  (pnm-toh)    ready. 

Protestante  (prbh-tess-tahn'-tay)    Protestant. 

Qual  (Kwahl)  exclamation  signifying  a  courteous 

disinclination  to  listen  to  apologies. 

Que  (Kay)  what,  that.  Que  bobo!  What  a 

ninny ! 

Quern  (Keng)  who,  whom. 

Queizada  (Kay-shah' '-dah)  wild-hog,  peccary. 

Quintal  (Keen-tahl')    garden,   house-orchard. 

Ribeirao  (ree-bay-ee-roaung)  creek. 

Bio  (ree'-oh)  rfoer. 

Bo^a  (roh'-sah)     clearing,     and,     by     analogy, 

frontier-settlements. 

Sala  (sah'-lah)    living-room,    drawing-room- 

Sabe  (sah'-bay)  you  know,  do  you  know? 

SSo  (saoung)  Saint.  Sao  Paulo.  (Saoung  Pah- 

oo-loh)  largest  City  of  Southern  Bra- 
zil. 

Sem  (sen.g)  without. 

Sertao  (sair~taoun,g')  the  edge  of  the  forest,  the 

frontier. 

Sertanejo  (sair-tah-nay'-zjoh)   frontiersman. 

Senhor  (sain-yohr')   Mr.  sir. 

Seniiora  (sain-yohr' -ah)  Mrs.  Madame. 

308 


Sinha 
Sitio 


Sor 
Sobre 


Sou 

Taquara 

Tatu 

Terreiro 

Teres 

Tia 

Tio 

Toa 

Todos 

Vaquelro 
Vamos 
Venda 
Velio 

Vergonia 

Viva 
Vintem 

Viola 
Zezinho 


(seen-yah')      contraction      of     "Senhora." 

Commonly    used    among    the    country 

people  as,  "Wife !" 
(fee'-tee-oh)    location,,     claim,     settlement. 

Referring  to  the  home  of  one  settler 

only. 

(sawr)    popular    contraction    of   "senhor." 
(soh'-bray)  over,  upon,  on.    Sobre  teres  e 

haveras   movem-se  muitas   demands. 

Questions     of     ownership     cause     all 

kinds  of  trouble, 
(soh)   I  am.  Sou  eu.  lit.  I  am  I,  viz.,  It 

is  I. 

(tah-quah '-rah)  a  slender,  rambling  bamboo 

(tah-too')    armadillo. 

(tay-ray'-ee-roh)    drying-floor  for  coffee. 

(tay'-rays)    possessions. 

(tee' -ah)  aunt.     Familiarly,  old  lady. 

(tee' -oh)  uncle.    Familiarly,  old  man* 

(toh'-ah)   rattle-headed. 

(toh'-dose)   all,  everybody. 

(vah-kay'-ee-roh)  cow-boy. 

(vah'-mose)  we  go,  let  us  go. 

(ven'-dah)  shop. 

(rail'-yoh)    old. 

(vair-gohn'-yah)    shame.     Sem   vergonha, 

shameless  one,  almost  the  worst  thing 

you  can  say  about  a  Latin. 
(vee-vah)  long  live! 
(vin  -teng)    the    smallest   copper   coin,   20 

reals 
(vee-oh'-lah)    a  Brazilian   guitar, 

(zeh-zeen'-yoh)  Joe- 


309 


•"<•'•  inn  IMII  mil  mil  UNI  mi  illl 

A     000127096     6 


